Into a New Light
by Layla-Fae
Summary: Percy Jackson finds himself in front of a fountain, sobbing and begging for his IM to get through. After a fight with Annabeth, he ran out and is now turning to the last hope he has of someone who can understand the pain-Nico Di Angelo-who hasn't been seen in years. What will happen when Nico hears him and does what he ask? To take him away to an unseen world, into a new light...
1. Chapter 1

Full summary: Years after the Giant War, Nico Di Angelo stabs a magical sword into a rock and discovers an unseen world from both mortals and demigods. Meanwhile, in New Rome, Percy Jackson is hopelessly struggling from his past and can't find relief. What happens when he IM the son of hades, begging him to come and save him? What happens when Nico actually does? Chaos and drama unfold as Percy's loved ones think he is kidnapped and are now on the hunt for them, but what if Percy doesn't want to leave Nico and the beautiful safe heaven?

I know I shouldn't be starting an story but I had this for a long time and I just was to put it out there to see if it's worth writing more of. Tell me what you think. Enjoy.

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Fear.

Fear; the exact beast that voracious devour it's susceptible and impeccable target alive. The same monster that completely substitute a victim's mind and dictates with pure sadism and inhumane barbarity. The identical sinful varlet who solely pretension in life is to disseminate and occasion itself into others so it can proliferate the sensation of sweet merriment that it can only receive in it's prisoners excruciatingly painful misery.

And the whole world was filled, basically generated, by it. It was the powerful source of it's existence and the significant fundament of it's ongoing rotation which formally develops into the cruel contrivance of another kind of the emotions that are correctly label 'bad'.

Pain.

Pain; the creation that branches off of fear when it reaches an attitudinal level too great for any perpendicular, unaware soul that it might spring onto in any and many matters or forms. Pain can take the illusion of physical battery and cause fear of being appalling beaten onto the victim in a harsh corporeal manner. Pain can appear in the mask of mental challenges that can confusedly impugn and negatively effect someone when it come to their instructional intelligences or their discreet thinking. But the most hurtful, mysterious torture pain can ever come in is emotional-mainly because love.

Love.

Love; the most savage monster, the most ferocious demon that could ever be infected into a poor being heart, and when it is directly rejected or merely valueless to the object of the strong, passionate affection... No words could describe the pain.

Well, no words that Nico Di Angelo have yet to find.

Ever since the victorious end of the Giant War and Gaia was put back to sleep, Nico left and has lived, and continues to leads, a life away from the demigods he was once acquainted with. He packed his belongings the same night the battle ended and when everyone was celebrating the win for the Greeks and the Romans. He left when they all left the field, there he escaped to the shadows like he normally did and traveled back to his cabin to gather his things in his suitcase and he was gone from there.

He kept his promise in the end. His took the seven to the doors. He delivered the Parthenon back to Camp. He fought for the Gods. Now he was done and gone. He went away and he never looked back, or even considered the thought of looking back. Not for anyone. Not for Jason. Not for Hazel. Not even for Percy. It's not like they cared, anyway.

He concentrated firmly on himself to find a place where there was no one who could ever find him. Where no one could get in reach of him, not even the Gods. Hell, a place without any life form in anyway would be fucking perfect. He vision a place in the northern region of Alaska where no one lived and saw a small empty cabin and he was soon there.

He fell face first into the snow covered ground and landed with a thud. He quickly got up and travel over to the home to begin his new life without anyone else there to fuck it all up. He was alone. Completely alone- and he couldn't be any happier.

He was free. Absolutely at liberty from everyone else. He was no longer consumed by Jason Grace and his constant suggestions of his love filled confessions he should perform to his long time crush nor his always watching eyes on him, filled with endless pity and concerned. He was no longer companied with Hazel his sister who didn't even really want him around, deep down inside. She never really knew him and if she had the chance, she would get ridge of him since she felt like she was nothing more then a second best sister to him after Bianca died. And, the fucking best of all, he was finally away from Percy Jackson.

Percy.

Percy; the only person in this whole world that made Nico really just want to die and finally be stuck in the underworld with his father forever. And, at the exact same time, made him want to run back to camp and stay there for the rest of time, if he was there. Nico Di Angelo hated Percy with every burning fiber of his being... Yet, he loved the hero with his entire heart, soul, and life.

Percy was the same person who went onto the same quest that his sister died on, and Nico wanted him dead on the spot once he told him. Yet, he couldn't let that skeleton warrior hurt him when Percy was about to be defended and possibly killed.

Percy was the same person who dropped off the face of the earth for over half a year, driving all of his loved one with worry, making Nico being the first one to find him at the Roman Camp and he had never been happier to see him to where he couldn't even hide it completely, to have it all crushed once he mentioned his vague memory of his true love- Annabeth Chase. Yet, he came to his recuse when Nico was locked away in a jar that was guarded by the two Giants that capture him as he was going through Tartarus.

Percy was... Percy was his hero. His bright example of a true shining knight in amor that was destine to save the day. Hell, Nico was destine to fall head over head for him and be fucked over by being in love with him for the rest of his life, cursed to never be able to get over him.

He was forever damned to love him. To love him through it fucking all. All the fear he has if Jason ever spilled about his encounter with Cupid and confessing his feelings for him and still lying about being over him. All the pain he had whenever he was around him and his was just being his stupid perfect self with his stupid perfect girlfriend. All the... All the love him had for Percy Jackson... And having to hide it, fake it. Just so he could live with being completely broken.

That's why he left. The real reason why he left. He couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't go on with the lie to himself. He needed to get away so he could breath again and live his life without being hurt. He had to move on, even if it seemed hopeless. He had to at least try to move on so he could finally be happy. For himself.

He spend three years in that cabin that soon became home to him, or, well, the closest he'll ever get to the feeling of home. It was lonely but that's what he liked. He liked being alone so nothing bad could happen to him. He enjoyed his life in that cabin for three years. He was content and away from anything that could ever hurt him, and he was extremely happy.

That is, until those fucking hellhounds came in and destroyed all of that.

Seriously, wasn't Alaska the land beyond the gods? And if so, why the hell and where in hell did they come from?

Nico remembers laying down in his bed at a late hour into the night and was just about asleep when his window in his bedroom is shattered, shooting out broken glass, and there was one of them right in front of him and his bed. The hellhound was even bigger then normal, one of the biggest ones Nico has ever seen in his whole life, with big red eyes that were the same color of blood. And it was glaring straight at him, growling and baring his teeth. He was too stunned to move for a moment, till the thing pounced at him to attack.

Nico moved out of the way at the very last second before being crashed. He bragged his sword and barely managed to kill the thing before it ate him. Nico soon traveled down stairs to find two more who where eating and crashing everything they saw. Rage filled Nico and he soon attacked and killed them.

After the fight, he was energy drained and his lovely home was literally destroyed beyond repair. Nico was left with no choice but to leave and find another great escape. And he had to do it fast since he could sense more near by. He could hear the dark growling growing rapidly till he was certain they were behind him, next to the last wall left standing so thankfully he could escape before they saw him.

Nico quickly shadow travel to somewhere else, he didn't even know, and was soon there. He landed on his feet and observed his surroundings. He was in a forest, and no one else was there. He liked it so far.

Nico traveled onwards into the small opening that soon relieved a tiny path farther into the wilderness. He was very tired but he knew he had to find shelter somewhere for the night before he could rest.

He lazily followed the trail for who knows how long. His feet started to ache and he felt like he would soon pass out onto the ground and fall asleep. He was freezing in the cold since he was only in sweat pants and an old t-shirt. His not no shoes, leaving only socks to cover his feet.

The son of Hades was cursing out every god he could think of at the moment, as he walked on, looking for some kind of shelter. He just needed a small space with a tree without a bunch of rocks and animals hanging around, so he could rest his head till morning.

The young man walked till he couldn't anymore and he was almost falling over in sleep. He couldn't keep his eyes open for more then a few seconds at a time. He finally gave up and sat down by an old oak tree, and hoped that a snake won't come up and bite him or something.

Of course, that would be his luck. He survived the Titian War, Tartarus, the Giant War, and his heartbroken from Percy Jackson, and he would be known as the idiotic son of Hades that died from a simple snake bite. How pathetic.

He leaned his back onto the tree and closed his eyes, trying to sleep as comfortable as he could with it being freezing cold outside and having a pointy rock up his ass.

He was just about asleep and on his way to blissful dreamland until something bunked him on the head. He fell over to his side as the fallen object scattered to the other side.

Nico's head was thumping with pain as his vision was blurry to a point of where he couldn't make out a single thing in font of him. He felt lightheaded and he couldn't real think of anything other the pain for a moment.

When his head stopped and finally cleared, he looked over to the heavy object that laid on the ground under leaves and spikes of dirt. It was long and made of dark iron that almost faded into the shadows. One end was a ebony handle with a curvy design of lines that travel up onward to the rest of it's body. The other end was a very sharp point that might have cut you by just looking at it. He even checked the back of his head for a bloody cut.

Nico had never seen a sword like this before. He hesitated on touching it at first but slowly reached out and brought it over to himself. His held the weapon very carefully. It was about four feet long and it gave off a strong aura of intimidation and power.

Nico looked back up the tree. His mind raced with questions and theories of what it was but none of them could possibly be right. He glanced down to the sword again and finally took proper hold of the handle, like he would do if he fought in a battle with it. Soon he realized there was an iron cover over the actual blade. He took hold of it and slightly struggled to snap it apart but managed to. A pure glowing silver blade with no detailed design was discovered. It looked to be freshly made and never used. Nico brought it closer to his face, studying the blade, wondering how it got up in a tree.

The blade suddenly glowed a light blue color, it was almost blinding to Nico's eyes. The son of Hades jumped back in shock and pulled the sword away from his face. He watched in total shock as the blade grew brighter. Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw a similar bright light from somewhere behind him. He turned back to find a the same bright blue shine beaming out from the inside of a giant rock with a deep cut on the top. He wondered how he didn't notice that before.

Soon, the demigod stood, sword still in hand and still glowing, and slowly walked over to the rock. He stood in front of the small boulder with a sharp ended oval cut in the center. Nico held the blade up and studied the end of the pointed blade again, and then glance back to the cut that looked about the same size.

He did what came naturally to him. Nico held the handle with both hands and pointed the sword down above the cut. He harshly thrust the sword into the cut, shoving the blade about half way through. The glowing continued, but nothing else happened. Nico pushed the sword even deeper with all his strength and, soon, all of it went into the rock to where only the handle was visual. The bright light was gone.

For a moment, nothing happen and Nico wasn't sure what to do. Then the ground shook violently, causing him to trip backwards and almost fall over. He was used to the earth under his feet shaking but never this harshly. He stood back up and tried his power over the earth himself, concentrating to halt the shaking to a stop.

He didn't even realize he had his eyes close until he opened them to a bright white light that conjured his entire vision. He could see nothing else and he was going blind from the sight of it. The shaking had completely stopped.

He thought for a terrifying moment that he was dead. But then the lighting faded down a bit and it soon reviled a new setting.

Nico had no idea how he got there, but, at that moment, the son of Hades stood in a beautiful grassland location. The new area he stood in had a grass up to his mid thigh and it was spread out as far as he could see and possibly even further. The sky was a light, brilliant blue with only the bright sun, no clouds. The grassy field had several tiny hills scattered through out. On the tallest hill, far out to the edge of the field, there stood a castle like structure made out of pure marble with pure gold, emerald green, and black iron accents and designs with linear lines and loose curves. There was a bell tower at the very top, tall and straight, proud and strong looking. It's bell was like any old fashion bell, but instead of gold or copper, it was made from sliver. The same kind that he sword was made of, Nico was sure of so.

Nico took a look behind him to only find more of an empty grassy field that he saw in front of him. He realized then he was trapped inside of this new, magical place and had no idea of how he was going to get out.

At first, panic rose inside him like a bolt of lighting as he began to search for an exist. He found none and was left with only one more option. He turn back towards the direction of the house and started to make his way there. He soon approached it and walked up it's huge steps up to the front entrees with wide, marble columns on each side. He first knocked the wooden door and was probably ten times his own heigh. No answer. He soon took the knock and turned it. Unlocked. He pulled the door, which was surprisingly light, and entered into the mystery castle.

The room he was now in was made of pure marble as well, except the floor that had plush, cream colored carpet, which he found odd but didn't dwell over it. The floor was made into a perfect circle that held crystals and other precious jewels in it's golden accented steps that lead it's way down. On the farthest wall was a golden accented rail staircase that had the same fancy carpet on the steps but it was blood red instead of cream, and swirled around in circles like a spring as it lead up to the higher level. The ceiling above him was completely made of mirrors so Nico was starting straight at himself at about twenty feet over his head.

He let out a low whistle. He was blown away from the sight. It was defiantly the most beautiful place he ever been in and had ever seen.

Then he realized that he might not been alone.

"Hello?" Nico called out. He looked around more for a form of life in any kind. Although he was praying that it wasn't in a form of a hellhound. He received no answer. He soon traveled over to the steps and made his way up them. He called out again for anyone to see of they were there. Still silence. His own voice echoed off the walls and came back at him like a loud bullet.

Nico walked farther into the open second floor that was just like the first except the walls were now made of mirrors like the ceiling. But one wall was bare, and was made into a window out into the area behind the plaza. Nico looked out of it and found exactly what he already saw but, farther out in the distance, the grass gradually changed over to sand that transformed into a beach with beautiful, sea green waves that crashed onto the shore. Nico quickly looked away.

To his right, there was an opening to another staircase to the next floor and he decided to go up there. The steps lead him up to a hallway that held about five rooms and another staircase on the other end. He went straight to the staircase, not looking into any of the rooms, and soon arrived into the bell tower.

Nico went up onto the next few steps to the circled area that held the silver bell. The sunshine that streamed from the openings glowed onto the bell and it radiated with pure beauty an it's looked very lovely. He almost with blind with the light, and he was starting to get tired of almost going blind from the things in this place.

He approached the bell as he stepped into the circle, but something, from the corner of his eye, flashed into his sight. Something black.

He turned to find the sword that hit him earlier on the head. He just realized then that he was parted from it when he came into the new setting. He grabbed the sword and kept a tight hold onto it. He when over to one of the openings that were arched into a perfect dome like entree.

He looked out into the outside world, hoping to find an exist. But all that was there was more grassland.

He cursed under his breath. He wanted to leave. He wanted to leave and find another escape from the old life that he was running away from. He wanted to get back to being away from the whole Greek God world and be completely out of the mess. But no. He couldn't even leave... But that also meant that no one could ever enter. Not without the sword anyway...

He was alone. No one else was here.

Maybe this place wasn't so bad after all.

Just then the earth shook, vibrating violently under his feet, almost causing him to fall over onto the ground. The shaking, luckily, was short lived and, once he regain his balance, Nico stood to capture the sight before him.

About two steps in front of him, a small glowing white hole broke through the stone ground. It just glowed brighter to where it almost blinded Nico, but the young man could still make out the large, clear lining of a pair of hands that grasp the two opposite sides of the circle. Within a second, the same clear, outlining shaped the silhouette of a mortal like figure with a large head, two eyes, a nose and mouth. Nico stepped back and rest his hand on his own sword, preparing himself for a fight. The figure rose entirely out of the hole, which soon faded away back to the way the stone floor was before.

The figure stood straight and tall, almost a whole six feet, if not taller. Nico recognized what it was right before him in a minute, but he could tell something was off about the figure in front of him, who Nico could clearly class as a man.

The spirit man in front of him stared back at him with soulless black eyes, like Nico had himself.

It was the living who spoke first. "You're a ghost." Nico stated. "A undead spirit."

"Yes, I am." The ghost spoke but there was something off about his voice. Unlike most, if not all, ghost or spirits he has encounter, there voices were small and spread out, like a warm breeze that was smooth across the entire air, barely able to hear sometime. This ghost's voice sounded as if it was a roar from a hollow place. Like his voice came from an enclose and concealed closure.

"Hello." Nico nodded for his wave. "I'm Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades. What is your name?"

Over the years and his from his experiences in the Underworld, Nico has observed and learn that the death was just like the living with it came to encountering and meeting new people. They liked to be given respect and some information of the stranger they are seeing. Nico really couldn't complain from that request since he was the same, if not more strict and demanding of it.

The saw the spirit's eyes go wide and fill with an emotion Nico wasn't to familiar with.

"Hello, My Lord." He spoke. "My name is Bradshaw. I am your humble servant."

Nico raise a brow to him. "Pardon?"

"I am here to serve you." Bradshaw responded. "I am the immortal servant to all the Kings of Oltre Malavita."


	2. Chapter 2

Guilt

Guilt; the drug like emotion that just just feels you up completely fill till you're basically spilling over with the substance that comes pouring over from your mouth, like vomit after you had too much to drink or when you over douce and you find yourself drowning in your own puke. But, unlike the drugs and whiskey, guilt came with a more forceful and brutal blow, like a painful punch to the stomach, just ten times worse and it's in your already breaking heart and nearly shattered ego.

Guilt was like the leader in a gang. Guilt ran the shots and call for the ones to suffer or to have mercy. Guilt had followers that came with it wherever he went. Doubt, Dread, Self Hatred, just to name some of the loyal members. The worse being Shame, that one had the most excruciatingly afflictive chastisement. That one caused the most damage during an after the war.

They traveled together and they punished together, making the inhuman torture even slower and more painful for the poor victim. But that's the thing. Guilt and it's gang didn't attacked the good guys. He went after the bad. The cruel ones, the horrible ones that deserved what they got.

Percy Jackson was one of those. And he knew he deserved a lot worse then he has already gotten.

It's been three years after the war, and at his age of 20, he felt like he was over a thousand. His body ached all over constantly. He felt like shitz supreme pizza with an extra serving shitz on the side with a shitz flavored drink. He was just to dam young to feel this dam old.

He hated the feeling. He hated how he couldn't wake up anymore without his arms stinging from the deep scratches he gave himself from his nightmares. Most of the time he was out of control while he viciously dig into his skin, his mind too busy roaming through his dark and frighting past to be aware of what he was doing to himself. Sometimes, his back would start to hurt as well, especially on his left shoulder blade where his Achilles spot used to be. He could still feel the way the water seemed to burned his skin as if it was boiling. Other times, his eyes would water uncontrollably, burning as well, as if he was drinking from the river of fire again like he did down there. He was tried of hurting constantly. It always made him look back at the past and wonder what the hell when wrong, and how did it all come to this.

He wasn't like this right after the war. After defeating Gaea, he and Annabeth went back to New York, where Percy finally reunited with his mother. He remembers her opening the door and smiling so brightly when she saw him. He loved the way she hugged him so tightly and began to cry with him as they held onto each other in pure happiness. He remembers hugging Paul as well, the pepper haired man happy to see him as well, and he hugged him like a real father would hugged his son. He never felt more at home in his life.

He stayed there for a few weeks, but him and Annabeth decided to go back to Camp Half Blood for the rest of the summer. Percy didn't know why or how it effected him so much but he just entirely shattered while he was there. It was as if all the wonderful and enchanting memories that had taken place on the sweet green grass and pure bright sunshine of what used to be his enlightening sanctuary just vanished along with the wind, only leaving with the terrors of war and death that seemed to in the cold lingering of the wind.

Percy sensed it once he stepped foot on the ground, his soul and body observing up the aura of the destructible impact like a sponge. His happy mood down casting right away at it, but he kept smiling, kept laughing for Annabeth's sake who was on cloud nine. He kept up the fake front when he shook hands with Chiron who was saying of how proud he was of Percy. The praising didn't set well with him, like someone just dropped a stone into the very pit of his stomach.

It was because if that look in the old teacher's eyes. The same Piper had when she warmly embraced Annabeth and him and asked them how they were. She was happy and kind, like she always was, smiling that pretty smile of her's with that same harpy feather in her hair, but she still had that look in her eyes, the same Chiron had. The look even stop the constant reunite of changing colors her eyes always had, staying a solid dark color Percy couldn't make out, not that he wanted to anyway. Percy hugged her back and let Annabeth speak for him when Piper was nailing them with questions and news about the camp at 65 miles per hour. It was hard enough to keep the happy expression without speaking.

It wasn't till days later when Jason came to visit. He woke up that morning and found him in the dinning hall, talking to Chiron up at the head table. Percy didn't feel any thrilling ambition to go talk to him so he went and got some eggs and some apple juice and went to sit at his father's table, alone, trying his best not to get notice by the blonde priest. He knew that he would see through the mask and borther him constantly about it till he finally torn it down and explain why he had it up in the first place. Percy wasn't in the mood for the friendly interrogation... Especially after last night...

But the son of Jupiter still found him, and came over with a spring in his steps and a smile on his face, like it was the best day ever to alive. Percy begged to differ.

Jason came over and sat across from him. He say his hello and Percy did as well. He ask about his new position and how he liked it and they had some talk in that manner for a while, enough for him to finish his breakfast. Jason talked about Camp Juniper and how they were doing good. He also talked about Hazel and Frank and how they planned to attend school together whenever they can. He told Percy that Frank was doing well as Praetor and Hazel was helping Rachel and Tyson rewrite the Sibylline books from Ella's flawless memory. He also said that there were some mourning Octavian's death, but most were at peace about it. He talked about how Reyna was and said that she was doing fine, even through he didn't elaborate about it.

Percy smiled at all the good news, truly happy about it. He was really wondering and hoping that all of his friends at New Rome were okay and were happy. He glad to be informed about them, that everyone was recovering from the hell they been through all together. He felt good about it all, but then Jason hit him with the bad news.

Apparently, when the Romans were fighting Gaea at Camp Half Blood, New Rome was swallowed up by the earth, completely gone. Not a simple building or anything. All the homes and people that were left behind... Gone. Countless of lives...

Percy nearly fell out of his chair, clenching his heart, thinking it just stopped completely. Jason caught him before he fell, leaning over the table to the point where he on basically on it.

Percy didn't know how take it really. He knew something was wrong, it was plain to see in all of there eyes that not everything was great and happy, but it was that bad? Percy never really gave thought of how many really died in the war. How many lost their lives?...

How long have Jason known this? How long has everyone known this? Why didn't they tell him?...

Just then, Percy froze like he was just blasted into ice. His partly godly blood stopped in his veins with a shivery halt. His mind raced at fleetness velocity with countless of corrections and thoughts...

He realized then that they never told him, because he didn't ask.

He was happy, blinded by the victory to care for the others around him. He was preoccupied with the fact that his life was finally going to be okay again. That everything for him was back to normal with his friends and his family. Everything was going to be okay and he was finally going to get his happily ever after with his beautiful love and his loyal friends and his loving family...

It never occurred to him that some others weren't so lucky. That some campers from both camps had suffered, had loss... That maybe they lost a friend or maybe more. Maybe they lost there family or there siblings... Maybe they lost there own life to the earth goddess that swallowed them whole like they were nothing, helpless and powerless to stop it or to even run because that was impossible. And they knew that was possible for them, yet they still did it because they knew it was the right thing to do. They fought for the gods, for their friends and family, for their own lives and died in the end for it... And Percy didn't even think about...

He felt like sobbing in mourning realization. He felt like screaming bloody murder out of anger for the fallen solider, for Gaea killing them and for himself for not noticing. He felt ashamed at himself for being so careless and ungrateful for all those countless of lives that he didn't give a damn about. He felt remorseful for the fact that he didn't even think about it till now, not during the days of funerals, or when afterwards when he went searching for Leo with the others. No, it didn't hit him till now, and it's been weeks since the final battle.

But most of all... He felt entirely guilty. It was because of him all of those people died, that all of those innocent souls were killed-murdered- all because of him. He should have done something, anything. He should have came up with something to save them, even back at New Rome. He should have...should have...

Percy sat up and breathed for a moment before Jason continued to inform him onto worser things. Like how Rachel still couldn't see the future, or how all the decencies of Apollo have been reported to have strange and unexplainable dream from the sun god, all of them completely different. Jason then finally mentioned of how he still couldn't reach Nico Di Angelo.

That made Percy feel worse. How could he completely forget about all of them? His good friend Rachel? His own baby brother Tyson? Even Nico? How could he be so clueless and forgetful to not remember any of them?

Jason had saw the way Percy had react and tried to comfort him by putting a hand on his shoulder and saying that it was okay, that the war was over and everything was okay now. But Jason didn't understand why Percy was freaking out, why he was racking with guilt so rapidly. Percy even turned to him it explained by was at stopped by that same look in his eye that all the others had.

Percy then realized that look was from the effects of war they all have experimented. From all the tragedies they seen... All the terrors they faced... All the deaths they had gone through... Gone through and cared about...

Percy doesn't remember much then. He recalls pulling away from Jason and yelling at him. He didn't remember what he said but he knew he caused a seen. Then he ran out if the grand hall and dashed back to his cabin. He heard Jason call after him, Annabeth and Piper joining him later on, but Percy was faster then all of them. He kept running and slammed the door behind him. He fell to his knees as he began to breath heavily and then soon crying. He could still hear them calling him name on the other side. They even started pushing the door, banging and demanding entrees but Percy just curled up into a ball on the floor and broke with guilty sobs racking his body painfully.

That's when it all started. Percy started to just to close in on himself like a house of cards collapsing on itself. Swiftly coming down but with smooth gracefulness.

He started to disconnect himself from the world outside his cabin. The sight he used to love with all his heart because worse then a wasted wasteland in his eyes. A hellhole up there with Tartarus almost, and it wasn't because it was a cruel disgusting sight. No, never! It's just a single, huge, forever noticeable reminder of what he has done. It filled his heart with rage and pain and self loathing so much, he couldn't stand it.

He started to decline from everyone, along with himself the more time he stayed there, his own sanity sinking along with him as he drifted downward into the endless ocean of himself. He just transformed into this giant ball of unpredictable problems that would exploded with he finally couldn't take it anymore.

He started to just fill with so much anger and hatred for not only himself but for others as well, almost everything really. He would keep it all buried inside him, containing it all inside with sealed lips until he just burst with apoplectic aftermath. Most of the time, it was all thrown out to Annabeth, after her constant questions she alway asked him. They were always about his well being, if he was okay, even though the answer was clear to see that he wasn't. At fist, she would take his raging fit of anger and leave him alone, but she soon started to fight back afterwards, like the warrior she was and that would only cause more choleric turmoil in the end, a bigger and more inflamed explosion in the end. It took a great toll on there relationship, but what it exactly damaged in it was unknown to both of them.

And that wasn't the only problem he developed. He soon came paranoid about everything and everyone as well. At first, it was just some thoughts, but they soon became frequent and caused him to distrust more and more of the people around him. Yes, he did have a few he trusted, mostly his friends, but he knew that they all, deep down inside, hated him. They would never say it to his face, and would probably deny it to the bitter end, but, who's to say that's because they were planning to get him back? And if not them, what about those who lost their loved ones in the war, under his responsibility? Who's to say all those people who come up to him everyday and praise him for being a hero are just scheming to take revenge on him? Who's to say that all those little kids who ask for tips on sword fighting because they want to be as good as him one day, will become better one day? What if they dare him into battle one day and the kill him in a scheme that was designed to look like an accident? He wasn't sure, and he knew he could never be sure. It gave him more of an excuse to stay locked up inside his cabin, having to be forced out to get food. Mainly, the task was done by Annabeth or Jason, but Percy was still unsure of his well being whenever he went out. He just always got the shivering notion knowing that it was possibly the last time he every see the sun light...

But the worse part of it all was whenever night time came at the every end of the day. He dreaded that time of the day the most, because he was always bragged back... Back down there... Below the earth... Even beneath the Underworld...

He was brought back to that place every night, always in the same frighting dream he has every night and he has had every night for the pass three years. It was the same one that always brought him right to the edge and come extremely close to finally pushing him off for good, make himself fall right down to the bottomless pit of darkness with only his broken sanity to keep him company on the endless fall.

It was always the same. He just couldn't find relief from the torture, never really able to be truly free of that place since he went back there every night inside of his mind, making it haunt him forever. Percy had tried everything to get ridge of that terrible sights that replayed in his mind. He spend nights where he count sheep and think of anything else but that place. He even went nights of weeks of not sleeping, making himself stay up to stay away from the horror. He has even gone as far as to run miles around the camp all night to stay awake. He even tried to sleep in the lake, underwater without worrying about dying. The water has always been his safe heaven, his pure sanctuary, but that didn't work either... No matter what, the images always came back.

This was what really made him break. The roots, the very source of everything that cause him to became the broken person he has become. He drifted farther and farther into his deep depression, leaving him with nothing inside his soul except for self resentment and disapproval loathing for everything living. He lost himself in the darkness of that place far below and was hopeless of finding it again.

He was suffering from this all the time he spend the end of his summer vacation at camp. He rarely thought about school starting soon, it really didn't matter to him. He was too busy trying to find ways of getting out of his personal hell. He didn't think entering into another one would really help him.

It was the last week of summer when the camp was visited by the hunters of Artemis. Annabeth and Jason were thrilled by the new, running straight out of the dinning hall early in the morning to greet Thalia once they heard the news of the group's arrival. Percy didn't move from his seat, he just went on messing with his cereal while he sat alone that his table. It wasn't later on when Thalia came to him, when he was making his way back to his cabin after a well needed slashing in the sword fighting area. She jogged up to him and asked him how he has been, but he knew she knew how he was. He knew Annnabeth told her everything in a heads up notion, like Percy just might snap at her as well.

He curtly replied he was fine and that he was just tired and wanted to go back to his cabin and sleep. Before the hunter could say more, the son of Poseidon turned on his heels and walked away, not even looking back when Thalia swore at him for being rude. He just shut the door and went on.

It was that last Friday of summer when the game of capture the flap was canceled for whatever reason. Percy would be bummed out from the action but now it was so rare for him to even get excited about it. It was rare for him to get excited about anything really. They still had the camp bond fire as usual. Percy didn't attended and just made his way to his cabin. Or well, he was trying to at the time...

He was just a few steps away when the girl finally called for him, using the term 'Fucked Up Hero'. He turned to find a small, thin girl with dark colored hair tied back into a braid. She was a hunter, clearly but Percy still didn't know her. He stated quiet, waiting for more of her names but the only thing she said was when she questioned him to speak. He didn't. That only set more gasoline to her wild flame of rage.

She set off threats and insults faster then she could probably shoot her arrows. She hated him, very much. And he totally understood why she did. He hated himself for the same reasons.

So he just stood there and took it all. She came closer to him during her roaring fit, stomping her feet and throwing her arms around her. She was so angry and Percy could tell it wasn't all towards him, but he just expect she needed to get it all out of her system, so he let her rage.

That is, till she crossed the fucking line.

She brought up Zoë, and blamed him for her getting killed in the first place because he made her go back and face her father. She spoke about his love/hate relationship with Thalia and how he almost hurt her during that one fight they had when Annabeth went missing. And then she brought up how he was the reason Annabeth didn't join the hunters in the first place, how he ruin that for her because he was a stupid male. She crossed the line when she brought up of how he failed to protect Bianca Di Angelo and she died on a quest because of his failure.

Percy doesn't know why, but something just snapped inside him about that, once the unknown girl said the daughter of Hades name. His muscles tensed like tied rope being constricted into tight lines that throbbed inside his head, chest, arms, and legs. His eyes felt as if they were set on fire that was growing rapidly from the back of his eyeballs to the front making him see nothing but the dark, bloody color of anger. The familiar tugging in the bottom of his stomach took toll.

That's when time seemed to escape him in a swift swept of wind and his body took control of itself. He doesn't really recall it all clearly, not as much as he wished he did at least. He lost all memory of it at first, but when they told him about it, it all came back to him in a blurry mess, like dirty water on a mirror. It made a havoc image, but the message was still crystal clear.

He took rule over the large body of water near him, commanding for it to raise huge waves, over the tops of the buildings around them, going up till it touched the sky, and the water obeyed without hesitant as it always did before. He lifted his head as the might from the moon was blocked out and him and the girl entered into the dimly lighted shadows of the deathly disaster behind him. The girl's eyes followed the height if the waves, fear increasing in those dark irises with each inch, not meeting the full climax of the pure horrendous fear till the waves aimed downward. A scream failed to be released to her lips as the water came crashing down on her with enough force to make it feel like concrete. The water slammed down on Percy as well but it soon obeyed his commands again and departed for him and the girl who was a few feet away from him. She was soaking wet, her dark hair reminding him if a dog's wet coat. He snarled at the ugly sight, at least it was better then the sight of her face.

The girl was on the group, holding support from her arms as she cough up the last of the water that rushed into her lungs the same moment of her contact with the water. She had her back turned from him, where he found his golden opportunity. He pulled out Riptide from his pocket and uncapped it into his sharp, bronze sword.

He started to regain his self consciousness as he took those few steps, slowly but more and more returned as he came near the girl who was unaware of what he was doing. It was like a snake cornering his prey, the small white mouse. Like a big, vicious dog finally gaining up against the small cat. Like how Tartarus hellacious overpowered him like he was nothing more then dust or wind...

For once, Percy wasn't the mouse, the cat. He wasn't even his weak, tiny self... No, he was the more powerful one. He was the one who won the battle... He was the one who wasn't going to suffer, the girl was and it felt good knowing that he was finally going to be on the other side of the hand.

He was now mere centimeters from the girl, his stood over her small figure that was still on the group, now curled up in the fertile position, still slightly coughing. He raised his blade that blamed in the water dim light, as the girl finally looked up to him and quivered back with her eyes shrieking out the freight she felt inside. That look in her eyes gave him that satisfying thrill he deserved most out of the situation.

The color of her eyes-which were a dark brown color, the same color of her dripping long hair- and her cinnamon toned skin with freckles dashed across her noses and cheekbones took that sweet delectation away from him.

For a moment, he forgot who he was about to kill. Then he remembered that he was actually about to kill someone.

That's when all of that vanished. He came plowing back to earth and took in everything that was happening in with the rush of guilt, stronger then ever, racking up inside him like poison inside his veins, mixing with his blood so it can permanently stay there-inside him-forever.

It then when his hearing came back, once blocked out by the sound of a sound yet piercing ring that must have came from the bell of his anger. Annabeth's screaming came clear to him then, soon followed by her ripping the sword out of his hands that was still raised up, prepared to strike the girl who was now clinging onto Thalia like a child to a blanket to keep her away from the monsters.

That's what he was. A monster.

The realization stroked him more fiercely then a bolt of lighting. It numbed him down to the core, causing him to not being able to feel his legs moving as he was being pulled by Annabeth to the main house. Thalia shouted out curses and threats at him as he escape the forming crowd that gathered around the seem like moths to a bright light. He soon realized that they were all wet, even Annabeth, and he didn't know why.

He spend the night in the main house then. Sleeping roughly as he woke up to the nightmares as normal. He was thankful it wasn't really bad this night. He didn't want anymore attendant from anyone then he has already received. He stayed in that room the next day, having his meals being brought to him, the door locked so he couldn't get out. It was the next night when he actually heard something other then the buzzing of lights and the annoying chirping of birds outside his window that was also locked.

It was late at night, pass midnight when Percy heard Annabeth and Chiron have their little degustation about him, right outside his door in hushed tones that were as loud as sirens in that damned quiet room. It was okay, he was trying to stay awake anyway.

They decided it wasn't safe for him to be at camp anymore and he needed help. They came to the earth shattering discovery that he was fucked up during the war pretty bad and that was why he was this way. Percy could have fucking told them that if it was still that big of a damn mystery.

Annabeth then stated that she and Percy would be leaving for New Rome tomorrow morning, saying that he could get help there. She said she already talked to Reyna and his mother about it and they both approved of the matter. Good thing Percy had to get all their permissions to get better.

The next morning arrived and both Percy and Annabeth loaded up on their own pegasus and took off for New Rome in completely, unbroken silence. Percy didn't want to talk and Annabeth didn't tempt him.

And that's where he had been for the passed three years- in New Rome, in a new hell. They got there and the first thing they did was ship him off the some psychologist that tried to get inside him head, trying to find out what made him tick backwards and not forward. Percy refused to speak a single word to him, and he the guy tried everything to get him to speak about anything, but Percy was stubborn and determined. His goal was reached when the psychologist had enough one day and got up and walked out, stating that he refuses to treat a patient that won't meet him halfway. He was the longest lasting one out of them all.

Percy treated each doctor or psychologist or whatever the same way- silently. Never a word said to any of them. All of them quick because of that or either the fact they have declared him incurable, an other way of giving up on him.

Good, that was what he wanted. Why should he talk to them? Why? None of them will understand, and because of that, they will misjudge him and treat him unfairly. He knew it was bound to happen, but he certainly wasn't going to get it from the damn someone that was suppose to help and heal him. No, he knew none of them could do that, because none of them have been through the help he has been through. Not a damn one of them. So he just didn't deal with them in any manner. He didn't speak to them or even acknowledge there present.

It was the 7th or 8th one who broke him of that. The guy was fat and middle aged with almost not hair left on his head. He was dressed properly in his suit and looked presentable, but Percy still got the dim impression of his ex-step father, Gabe Ugliano, and it made him instantly hate him without any chance of changing that. Percy played his quiet card for the first ten minutes in the meeting, the doctor not saying anything either.

Then the man spoke and the first thing he requested for Percy to talk about was about his mother.

Percy bursted, his temper popping like a balloon, along with all the toilets, sinks, and water fountains in the building. He snapped at that man, almost yelling at him in a cruel tone of voice, speaking in rapid greek. The roman doctor didn't understand, obviously, but Percy still went off as the man sat there stunned. It wasn't till the water reached their floor when he ended his rant. They were on the 9th floor out of 10.

Later on that day, Percy told Annabeth about it. She would laugh at it and call him Seaweed Brain if this was normal, but instead she just frown and ask him about why he did this to the people that were trying to help him. Percy realized then he never told her why, along with a lot of other things. He finally told her and got the shock of his life. Annabeth snapped at him, slamming down the fry pan she was holding at the time, causing the pan part to break off from the handle. She screamed at him that she was always there for him, always there to listen. She was there too, down there... She had nightmares too and is willing to help him through that, along with all the guilt and self loathing, but she got through that all and healed her broken soul and has been and still is willing to help Percy with it because she loves him... Even through he wasn't there to help her when she needed him too...

She finished her rant with tears going down her cheeks and her gray eyes were red. She was breathing heavily. She soon realized what she done after a second of silent. She started to cry more, reaching her hand out, saying she was sorry... But Percy couldn't look at her, the guilt of making her suffer caused him to panic and ran out of the apartment without turning back, tears forming in his own eyes. Annabeth shouted back for him, her voice cracking with each call, until she just finally stopped calling.

And that's why he is here now, in the park in the center of New Rome... Or New New Rome when you think about it...

Percy ran here, trying to reach the nearest thing of water and ended up here, walking towards the big, gothic looking fountain made of some kind of black material he didn't recognized. He felt tired, alone, and guilty. He wanted to cry and hit something at the same time... He didn't even know how to exactly describe how he felt about anything or of anyone. He just.., he just didn't know anymore...

He sat there at the foot of that fountain and finally let out all the tears he been holding for years. He basically sobbed into his hands, shaking like a leaf in the now autumn like winds that made him cold.

He thought about all the people he knew in his life that he hurt: His mother, Annabeth, Zoë, Leo, Calypso, Bob, Bianca, Nico...

"Nico?" Percy squealed out like a rubber toy. He hadn't seen Nico in forever, since after he returned from Tartarus and the son of Hades left to deliver the Athena's Parthenon. Jason had mention about not having any luck at all to connect with the guy, Hazel being in the same level with him. They said it was like he vanished out of thin air...

Nico had been through Tartarus like him, alone even. He done some impossible stuff too, making him a hero that should be admired just like Percy... Nico would know about pressure, about how hard it is... He would even know about that place below...

Percy stood up and faced the fountain in front of him. The water was a beautiful blue color, clear and gleaming lovely in the moonlight. He pulled out his only drachma and flipped it into the water and prayed to Iris for the message and the to his father for it getting through. All that came up was a dark mist cloud that showed him nothing. Percy still spoke to it like it did get through.

"Nico... It's me, Percy. I know we haven't talked in a long time, and I know we were never the best of friends but I need your help..." He swallowed hard, trying to steady his voice. "I need you... I know that sound crazy but... But I want to know how you did it... How you vanished and how you dealt with...with your memories of that place. How can I be healed and how can I disappeared? Please, you have the answer, so please... Just tell me and save me. Just please save me."

He ended his stupid attempt of contacting him, and sat back down to cry some more, not even bothering to end the message but a wave from his hand through the black cloud. When he thought about it, he felt something change in the air and before he knew it, he was out cold, his last sight of the world was the bright water's shining reflection as his vision went black.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading, it's longer then the first chapter but that's okay. Thanks for the following and the favorites, they are greatly appreciated.

Please review, and give me your option if I need to change the rating or not. Sorry for the grammar mistakes and all.

Please give me any info. that you think need improvement, I'm open to that. It makes my story better. Thanks again, please review.


	3. Chapter 3

Percy came up from the cold water with two strong hands pulling him out, almost yanking his arms out of socket.

He came up breathing wildly and heavily, which he found stupid of himself, but he kept at it because he was seriously out of breath and light headed. His vision was blurry for a few seconds till he focused in onto a very pale face that held a mean expression. Percy then realized that the face wasn't exactly human once he really looked at him and saw through him. There were two more men behind him and, from the corners of his eyes, two more on each side, holding his up like nothing. Panic rose slightly inside him and his trouble with breath increased. He flinches a little and the guards holding him shake him to stop.

The big guard in front of him steps closer to the son of Poseidon. He looks him up and down, checking his clothing. He even leans in and sniffs him, pulling away with a snarl on his face. Percy looks down at himself, finding his clothes dry.

The leader turns to the two behind him, ordering out commands in a foreign language that Percy doesn't know. It sounded somewhat Greek but it also had a hint of something else he wasn't so sure of.

"W-what?" He stammers. "Where am I? Who are you-" he was cut off but another harsh shook that made his arms throb. The leader kept talking to the other two, ignoring Percy like an annoying child.

Panic and a bit if anger rose inside Percy more. "I said, where am I?" He put force into his tone, but got the same results.

Percy was now frustrated. He should have been cautious with these new stronger looking visitors but he knew this route. They were trying to kill him.

His theory was proven when the leader turned around and brought out his sword. Percy didn't have time to react before the leader cut his cheek. Blood soon ran out and down his face and Percy felt his rage roar. He kicked the leader in the chest, bringing his legs up and putting all of his force into the blast.

Percy soon regretted that. His leg hit the armor and the painful effect shot up his leg like lighting, causing his to gasp in pain. The guards around him laughed with humor at the demigod who was not in pain from his stupid attempt of an attack.

He bite back his squeal as the guards threw him in a wooden cart like vehicle. He sat up as they settle into there own seats, the two that were just holding him now hanging off the sides. Percy's leg was throbbing and would soon go numb. He glared at the two guard already decided that he hated them. He also took a look at there armor. All five of them were in Ancient World like clothing with long black pants and bronze accent armor on the chest which were covered by sliver grey shirt. Their swords hang off to the side with large shields hanging off there backs.

The chart soon started to move and Percy mumbled threats under his breath, blaming and cursing the gods for every damn thing he could think of. Percy soon notices the sight in front of him. The chart that carried them all was riding on a long wooden bright that served as a passage over a large body of water, possibly a river or ocean. The sight was beautiful really, the sun was slowly raising over the brilliant blue water and the sky was a wide variety of colors-orange, pink, purple, white. The wind blew it the opposite direction of the way they were going, making Percy's hair flap over his face as he sat out look at the sight.

Soon the never ending bright stopped and replaced with rocky dirt and grassy pacts. Rows of houses came into view, along with people in long robes that looked like they came from Ancient Greece. All of them were like the guards-pale white ghost.

The sight before Percy blew his mind. The ghost peasant were living like actual people. They carried homemade baskets that held fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Some walked calmly as the held a few scrolls in there hands, as if they were off to find a nice area to read or to their way to an important meeting. Some were even playing in the streets, running around as if they were playing a game of tag. They even looked like living children. The thought send shivers down Percy's spine.

The houses soon turned into shops, were the road also turned into paved, smooth stones that were the color of ivory. Their were more people there now. Most of them were stands at the local shops, talking and buying things. Some were walking and socializing, laughing and smiling. It made Percy head feel lopsided.

Part of Percy felt a little off by the odd sight. Ever since his first visit to the Underworld, he always thought that the dead were incredibly sad souls that seem to never truly understand why they were no longer living, and seemed to leave them in a depressing state that seemed to last forever, like they can never be truly at peace. This was the exact opposite. The spirits were smiling, even laughing like they were still alive, as if they never died in the first place. They even look like they were still human, with they facial feature lighting up brightly, along with their full sounding voices that seemed to fill the air. He felt as if he was back at Camp Half Blood before the war, back when everything was okay again. His heart felt like it was being tug at the thought.

The cart stopped abruptly, making Percy fall back on his backside, his arms failing to caught him. His head hit the old wood and he groan with pain. When his vision cleared he saw the leader of the guards to his left, standing in a demanding pose as he glared down at the young demigod, as if he was a bug on a priceless rug.

"We are needed for a moment in this shop. We will be right back, and we will be watching." His tone was deadly, which Percy found somewhat ironic. "Don't try anything, vittima." He then turned away and headed inside the large, old looking shop that the cart stopped in front of. Percy sighed deeply, angry at the guards and his throbbing head.

"Goddamn asshole." He mumbled under his breath.

"What's that?" Percy jumps out of his skin and looks in front of him, his hand in his pocket, gripping Riptide but not uncapping it.

Hanging off the railing of the cart was a little boy with paler-than-death skin and messy blonde hair. His eyes were a light toned green, but the life inside them seemed to missing. Everything else about him was alive and surprising well exact for his eyes and skin.

"What?" Percy asked the boy.

"What's a goddamn asshole?" He repeated. Percy felt his face go red from embarrassment.

"Umm... Nothing." He said. "Who are you?"

The boy grinned a smile with a few missing teeth. "I'm Ajax."

"Hi Ajax." Percy forced a smile. "Um...Don't go repeating that either."

"Okay." Ajax nodded. "I won't."

"Ajax!" A girl came into view. She was older with the same hair and eyes, but she had freckles dashed across her cheeks and the base of her nose. Percy assumed they were siblings. She picked the boy up off the railing and balanced him onto her hip. The girl looked about the age of a preteen as the boy was probably a toddler.

"S-sorry, s-sir." The girl stammered. "He's always getting out and exploring."

"It's okay." Percy said. The looked at him wide eyed and blushed bright red before turning away. Percy was a little stunned by the notion.

"What are you?" A new voice questioned to his side, which turned out to be another little boy with a group if children around him, all of them looking up at him, gawking with curiosity and amazement.

"I'm a...demigod." It came out more like a question then a statement. The kids gasped.

"Oh my!" A young lady came up to the cart now. "No wonder his so handsome!"

"Um...thanks?" That was defiantly a question. Before he could blink, more and more voices broke out at him with questions of all kinds. More and more people came up to the cart, all of them looking at Percy like he was a priceless artifact. Percy soon stood and backed away from the crowd now forming, making him feel as if he was a stage performing instead of be captured and held hostage in a shitty wagon thing.

"Who is you godly parent, demigod?" One person cried.

"Poseidon." He answered.

"Is that why you have such a glowing glorious aura around you? To represent the sea god's beautiful creation?" A woman asked.

"Umm..." That was extremely odd. Who talked like that anymore?

Just then another woman gasped in total shock. "He's alive!"

That caused the crowd to go wild. Shouts broke the air even more, people were throwing their arms up and reaching for him. He went even more back, to where his back touched the back of the front riding seats.

The idea came to him in a flash, forming faster then he could put to act. He hopped over the seat and settled in with the stirring rope in his hand. He noticed that the horse in front of him were just as pale and ghostly as the people who were now calling for Percy like mad.

"Son of the Sea God, please come back!"

"Sea Prince, please return to us!"

"Demigod Heir! Come and tell us abut your glory, young hero!"

"Hey! You!"

At that call, Percy turned to find his new best friend, pointing his sword at him as he stood in front of the shop. Percy stroked the horses and call out the command.

The cart ran off forward, zooming with rapid speed and force. All five guards and some people from the crowd lunged forward. Most missed but not that Percy's best friend. Percy turned to find him screaming threads at him as he barely hung onto the back railing of the cart.

Percy turned back up front and stroked them again, demanding more speed. He turned back to still find the leader hanging on. Percy cussed out loud this time, hoping no little kid heard him that time.

He turned back to the front to find that they were about to crash into a home head on. He cussed again, pulling the stirring rope as hard and he could. "Turn!" He called out to the horses.

They obeyed, making a sharp left turn at the last second. Percy was thrown to the side but manage to stay on. He looked back to find the man hopping over the railing, now in the back section of the cart.

Percy, with one hand on the rope, pulled out Riptide. The guard pulled out his sword and attacked Percy. Percy defended himself as he tried to keep an eye on the road ahead of him. He tugged the ropes harder, trying to get fast enough to throw off the guard's balance, but it didn't effect him much. He was a seriously good swordsman, defiantly giving Percy a hard time since he hadn't practice as much and was pretty rusty.

Percy turned back to the front and saw about a dozen men on horses charging at him. He pulled the toes with all his might, yelling as loud as possible. "HALT!"

He was bent back as he did this, so the guard took advance of this and tried to slice him in half. Percy dodged to the left, taking the rope with him, which caused the horse to turn left. The horses and cart with into a swirling circle, making the cart drag on the ground, losing the two back wheels in the process.

Percy let go of the ropes to stop the spinning, which didn't make fighting the guard any easier, even with both hands. The next thing Percy known is that he is, somehow, on the ground at sword point with that damn guard leader above him and all his damn guard followers around him.

Percy swore out loud for the third time that day. The fourth was when they grabbed him back the arm and pointed the sword to his back, saying that he was now going to walk to the plaza.

Well, at least he knew where he was going now. He tried asking why but that just got him a cut on his face. The stinging on his cheek wasn't really that bad through, at least, not as bad as all the people who were obsessing over him like a cute puppy dog. The villagers weren't as bad as they were earlier but they were still looking at him in great amazement. He found it annoying, a bit nice at first, but now it was annoying.

The punishment walk was never ending. Percy walked as the dozen guards on horses gather around him in a form of a square. The leader was the one who held the sword at his back, pushing the point to his spine every now and then.

After what felt like days later, Percy could finally see the castle from a distance. It was huge, and ungodly pretty. The thought finally hit him then, when they were passing the golden marigolds and ruby red roses garden that decorated the front entrees.

"Does your ruler or whatever want me for something?" Percy asked the guard behind him. He turned his head to find him evilly smirking, but he remain silent.

They arrived to the big, black metal gates that were accented with fine, curvy lines of bronze. At the very top, there was a black skull with emerald green eyes. It gave Percy the shivers.

The surrounding guards soon departed around him, and went onto other places, leaving him with the original five. In a flash, Percy found himself in a very still and tough stance with one sword blade across the neck, one on point with his heart, and one on the center if his spine.

"What the actual fuck?" Percy cried out with a raise brow.

"Silence, fool!" The leader ordered. "We will now lead you to the king."

"The King? Is that your ruler person thing?" Percy asked.

"Yes. He's the one who ordered us to search the water and bring you to him once we found you." The leader glared down at the demigod again. His eyes were like the other's, dark and hollow, but he was looking at him like he was trying to solve a complex math problem he couldn't wrap his mind around fully. Percy tired not to gulp from the intimidating scowl.

"Come along." He finally ordered. The group followed him as he lead the way into the castle. Percy took very small steps behind him due to the fact he had swords all pointing at him. If he stepped to big the blade at his next dug in too deep into his neck for his own confront. If he was going to slowly for the guards, who probably thought he was delaying his meeting with the so called 'King', they would harshly poke him with the sword, right onto his spine to where he flinched in panicky pain. They didn't cause blood, but it was still enough to worry Percy.

The part he didn't like most about his wonderful stroll was the fact that he was supposedly going to see their king, who probably wanted him to either go on a quest for him or wanted him to died for whatever reason. Either way, Percy was not excited about this at all.

At least the view was nice. The hallway the group went through was very pretty, in a kinda dark gothic sorta way. The walls were dark with matching columns, all of them illuminating in the low light that was provided by the giant, majestic glass chandelier that hovered over the very first open room that came upon durning the walk. There were ghost servants there in a variety of colored robes serving what seemed to be priest. Percy found that was slightly odd but walked on. Not that he really had a choice or anything...

They kept walking, Percy using his side vision to observe the place. He noticed the painting of different looking men that hung on the walls in golden frames. All of them were somewhat the same, most of them had the same coloring of the eyes or the shape of their mouth or the angle of their chins. All of them were in royal black armor with different material designs. All the kings' expressions radiated power and ruthlessness, as if they were about to exile Percy for just breathing. Beside the painting were small plaques that stated the ruler's name and the time period they were in charge of the kingdom. The thing was, Percy couldn't read it. It was written in a forgiven language that he had never seen before. It looked slightly similar to Greek lettering, and maybe a bit of English, but it still seemed completely exotic and different then Percy had ever seen before.

He didn't get much of a chance to study it, since the guard behind his won't allow it. So he decided just the ask. "So, who are all these dudes?"

He never received an answer. The leader just kept briskly walking, ignoring the boy. The guards around him didn't bother to answer him.

After what seemed like forever, Percy saw a new light up ahead, at the end of the hallway. They came into it son afterwards. Percy's eyes first landed on the large plaque on the wall with more of the mystery writing enrage on it. Percy realized it was the throne room when he saw the throne that almost blew his mind. Not because it was glorious or amazing or anything like that. No, because it was just like the Hades'. A tall black cushion throne with human bones scattered at the bottom, the same thing that the chair was basically made of. It hit Percy then of why he thought he had been to the castle before. He turned back towards everything he just walked through behind him, looking over the guard.

"It's just like the Underworld..." Percy mumbled to himself in shock.

"Look forward!" The leader demanded in a hard, loud tone. Percy obeyed and slowly turned forwards.

"The King isn't here." The leader stated as he walked towards him.

"Clearly." Percy sassed back. In a second he had a sword tip under his chin.

"Do not test me, demigod." The leader threaten. Percy remained quiet as he removed the sword but not moving it far.

"Perhaps it would be easier for you to confess your sins now. Saves the King's time of dealing with you." The leader glared at him more. "So speak now."

"I didn't do anything." Percy stated with force in his voice.

"Lair!" The leader shove the sword tip back under his chin. "The King always kills those who he requests us to bring from the water. All of those who have been from the living world on the King's demands never made it back."

"I haven't done anything." He stated again. "I don't even know who your king is."

"Lair!"

"I'm not lying, you fucking asshole!" That cause the butt of the sword to make connect with his head. Percy went down with a painful groan, his vision blurring. The swords pointing all around him return and the one under his chin held his head up as he stayed on his knees.

His vision cleared enough to see the leader from his side. Percy was glaring at him and he was glaring back. He was about to day something till the sound of opening doors cut him off. Percy turned back to the front, facing upwards to the bone throne, and watched carefully into the dark to see if anything happens. He couldn't see the doors, he could only hear them and the squeaky noise that over power the almost empty room. Soon the squealing noise stopped and soon were followed by knocking footsteps that sounded as if they were covered by boots. The noise came louder as the feet soon approached the steps leading up the throne.

Percy's vision was cleared by then, but the sight before him seemed to be unreal to were he question if his was just imaging it. Or better yet, him.

The young man in front if him was about as tall as he was himself, with long limbs with firm, sinewy muscles. His skin was as white snow, almost as white as the ghost's, but it was obviously clear that he was alive with his beaming radiance of sovereignty. It vibrated more of his power, along with his graciousness, whenever he moved in the slightish bit. He even looked paler in his ebony clothing, with tall black leather boots and black riding pants tucked into them, and then his black, long sleeve shirt to complete the uniform. He wore a thin, bronze, twine like armor that clung to the sides of his legs, strapped from the top of his boots up to his waist belt that held his swords. His hair was a slovenly manner, like it always was, but his face had matured. In the pass years, his jaw line has became wider and squarer. His cheeks became fuller, only a bit hallow now, which brought out his high and strong cheek bones. His svelte lips were the color of the rose outside, making his eyes look as dark and as brown as the underworld soil. He had transformed into a completely different looking being then the last encounter Percy had had with him, but he could still recognized him straight away, like it was still the ten year old he first met, or the hero he fought beside in the Giant War.

For a long moment, they just stared back at each other. Percy could tell the absolute shock in his eyes, and he knew he probably reflected the notion back to him. Percy couldn't find any words to say for a moment. He was just...surprised to see him. And even more surprised to find his to change so dramatically.

_Is this where he been for all these years? Is this why we couldn't get to him in any way?... Then how could I last night?_

The memories of last night flew through his mind, recalling every single detail. He knew he tried to IM him, reaching out desperately to his last sting of hope and sanity, but he never really expected to get a reply. He was somewhat happy he did.

"Percy." Nico whispered, breaking the silence in the room dramatically.

"Nico." Percy breathed. All the swords around him pressed onto his body even more.

"What do you want us to do with him, My Lord?" The leader asked.

Nico blinked a few times before turning to him, like he just realized that the guards were actually there. "W-what?"

"How do you want us to kill him and why?"

"What?!" Nico flinched, like his own cry surprised him. "No. No, don't kill him."

"But My Lord, his a criminal."

"No. No he's not." Nico stated with his voice now firm. "He's my guest. My honored guest... He's..." He turned back to Percy. "He's my friend."

Percy breathed again as he felt the sword point slowly move away from his body and the guards moved away from him, letting his have some space and have the capability to breath for the first time.

Nico turned back to the leader. "Bradshaw," he addressed the guard. "Take him to his own private room. Dress him and feed him if he is hungry. He'll join me later tonight for dinner. Just me and him."

"Yes, My Lord." Bradshaw bowed.

The guards were starting to help him up when he spoke. "Wait!" Percy didn't know why he was having a hard time talking to him. "I-I have so much to ask. So much-"

"I'll answer then at dinner, Percy." Nico actually smiled at him, a small smile, but a smile overall. "I'll answer everyone. I promise."

The son of Hades turned his back before Percy could speak again. The boy walked back into the dark to where he couldn't be seen again. That's when the guards turned him back towards the hallway behind him and lead him away.

Percy knew Nico would keep his promise. He always did.

* * *

_A/N: thanks for reading. Please review, my personal goal is about thirty-five reviews at the most when I finish this story. But thanks y'all so much for all the following ad favs! I know this chapter is a but shorter but hopefully y'all still like it. I tried not to make Percy all "love at first sight" with Nico because thats really... Nonrealistic._

_So, give me some feed back because that's always helpful and thanks again!_


	4. Chapter 4

Annabeth has never really experience true insanity before till she lost Percy the first time, before the Giant War. Now that dreadful worrying has seemed to tenfold.

On the night Percy ran out, she swore to herself that she won't go after him, all that hate and resentment still heating up her body like flames, making her blood boil and her conscience fry. She stood in that room for a solid minute before she starting shaking that lead onto her anger turning into more screaming and her later now almost destroying the living room. When she finally calmed down she decided she was done with Percy Jackson for the night. She wouldn't go out and chase him tonight; hunt him down and beg him to come back like she always did.

No, she would let him defend for himself tonight if he wanted to be that way. She went straight to bed. She wasn't going to buried herself in worry for him like she has been doing for the pass three years. No, she was going to cut herself from him for tonight and finally have a good night of sleep like she deserved.

That was the worse decision she ever made in her life.

She woke up that morning refreshed and happy. She went into her kitchen and got some coffee before she picked up her mess from last night. She lost a lamp and made a few holes in the wall but that was easily fixed. She smiled to herself after her work and sat on the couch. She turned on the tv to distract herself from watching the door. She was expecting him to walk in any second, beg for her forgiveness-kiss her feet if she makes him beg long enough- and she would forgive him. As long as he keeps going to his psychologists and actually try to make progress because she was not going to waste anymore time on him if this was nothing but a repeating chaotic problem that they would constantly fix to only be broke soon afterwards.

The day flew by like the wind and the door remained closed. She got up and dressed herself and cleaned some more and even watched some more tv but that door never opened.

Annabeth's nerves and worrisome thoughts overpowered her pride with each minute. She started to shake and pace for a long sum of hours later on. It was pass noon and she hadn't even gotten a text from him or a call or even anything!

It wasn't till about dinner time when she realized it been almost a full 24 hours since Percy ran through that door and he still hasn't crawled back through it to her. She let out a sob as she placed her face into her hands and came to terms that she had been so careless and foolish for the whole day. She hasn't cared or put anything into action as he could have probably been attacked or robbed or even...

She jumped up from her position on the dinning table and wiped her tears away as she grabs her phone and her purse. She bolted out the door like he had done earlier and ran out of the building. She headed straight for the praetor station in the Senate. She bursted through the doors and ran forward to Reyna and Frank once they came into her sight. They embraced her together when she collapsed before them. Frank let out a yelp as Reyna held her steady. They both brought her inside a private room as she sobbed to them, retelling her mistake, her loss of Percy.

The two knew all about his condition. Annabeth feared that everyone knew. But they were the ones who helped her try to fix him. They gave her the help in everything for Percy's care. And she demolished all of that in one night.

She told them every detail out of habit. Frank sat with her and put a hand on her hand for comfort as Reyna paced the floor in front of her. She was thinking and wasn't speaking. Annabeth found this comforting, it being a sign that maybe Reyna had an idea or a theory or something.

When the daughter of Athena finished her tragedy, she watched the Praetor pace. Frank did so with her, knowing that the leader had a plan slowly developing inside her mind.

"Have you looked around the city?" She finally spoke.

"No." Annabeth shook her head. "My best guess that he's at Camp."

"Why?" Frank asked.

"Whenever this happen... He never leaves New Rome." She explains. "He's usually back before morning. He has never been gone this long. He has no where to go in New Rome that I wouldn't know about. Our friends would undoubtedly called me if they saw him out. They know he shouldn't be."

"Camp Half Blood..." Reyna mumbled. She pursed her lips as she kept thinking. Annabeth shivered at her strange reaction to the sight. She didn't like it.

Reyna looked up with her obsidian colored eyes and made eyes contact with Frank. "Jason..." She breathed. "Where is he?"

"He is here, in New Rome." Frank applied. "He is planned to leave for Camp Half Blood tomorrow afternoon, after the senate meeting."

"Change of Plans." She ordered. "Go tell him he will take a pegasus tonight and be there before morning. Tell him to search for Percy but only tell Chiron about it. We don't need getting out just yet."

Frank nodded and stood. He glanced back down to her and smiled in support. He then head off an out off the room, leaving only the daughter of Bellona and the daughter of Athena in that room.

The praetor looked at her and Annabeth looked back. The girl was tall and proper, her armor and purple cape fit her black lava rock hair and sun kissed skin. She approached the blonde who was still sitting in the chair.

The black haired girl cupped her cheek with gentle concerned, like she was scared of shattering her. Her fingers lifted her head up to see her face. Annabeth looked at the leader of New Rome, trying to express a smile, but her energy left her weak and her effect useless.

"I have never seen you cry before." Reyna voiced her wonder. "This must truly put you out of your character. I never expect you to cry over anything. Or in front of anyone."

Annabeth took a sharp intake of breath as she felt her fingers graced over to her loose blonde locks and tucked them behind her ear.

"I cry in front of my friends." She stated. "You're one of them. One of the best."

That was true. Over the years after the war, Annabeth had became close to the other girl. They shared similar beliefs and ways of thinking. It was easy for Annabeth to talk to her since she knew that she would most likely understand her view point and her actions. When she moved to New Rome with Percy, they became closer. She did not only help her whenever it came to doctor appointments or treatment options but also on keeping Annabeth herself sane during all the madness.

She always sat and listened to her whenever she needed her too. She always tried be strong and well together whenever she did tell Reyna everything about Percy and her own problems after the war. She loathed the mere idea of appearing weak before her. She wasn't entirely sure why of so but it just made her self hatred increased tenfold.

"A pleasure." Reyna smiled at her in a light, friendly matter. She took Annabeth's shoulders and pulled her up to stand.

"Here's the plan young warrior," Reyna smirked at the inside joke they made when they saw the Troy movie together for the first time. "We will give Jason two day of searching on his own inside the camp before we fly over and join him for the search outside the camp. He might be with his mother, but in case his not, we won't notify her till then."

Annabeth nodded in agreement with that. "The woman has worried enough for him."

"You have too." She rubbed her forearm. "Until we leave for Camp, I will search for him with Frank through the place. You go home and get some rest. You've searched enough today."

Annabeth felt her soul flatten at that remark. She didn't really elaborated on her pride over becoming her and her right mind frame of thinking.

"I haven't searched for him all day." She felt her lip tremble as the rest of her body soon followed.

"You've searched for him for three years now." Reyna stated. Annabeth looked at the girl after that and those dark onyx eyes captured her from ever turning away or ever forgetting them.

Reyna broke off the stream of awing first by stepping away from her. The blonde didn't realized they were so close till then. She looked at those dark eyes again to only find them avoiding her grey ones. They scanned all over Annabeth's face and body, making her feel somewhat insecure for a while. Reyna looked away to her left. Annabeth shoved her hands into her pockets, not knowing what else to do with her hands.

"Go home. Rest." Reyna glanced down before looking up at her again. She really looked at her with a certain attraction in her eyes before she looked through her like glass. "That's an order." She walked passed her then, like her presents there was nothing but air. Annabeth wasn't too hurt from it. Mainly because she shouldn't be hurt, and the fact that she would have done the same too.

Annabeth followed her orders like always and left the Senate House for home. She walked on the concrete sidewalk as her mind wondered about the problem at hand and how her emotions were now reaching there limits and going beyond. Her self loathing was making her mind second guess everything she has ever done and will do before she even do it. Her pride was crumbling from the fact she was actually selfish enough to put her own needs over her sick friend's. But most of all, the guilt that she had carried all these years were finally tearing her apart.

When Annabeth first lost Percy, she was breaking in mind, body, and heart. Especially heart. She read all those love stories about the wives of heroes and how they died from heartache after their deaths and she could understand all of that so clearly then. But now... Annabeth was, indeed, worried and out of her good mind about how to react, but now it is undoubtably different then before. Yes, she needed to find Percy. He was apart of her after all, the same person who kept her same durning and through...there...

But now... Don't get her wrong. She still loved Percy to the Gods and she swears she does, but she was afraid now that it isn't the same as before. The connection and the dependence were still there, as pure and clear as glass, but the actual romantic love... She didn't feel it anymore. She no longer held that desiring spark for him that ignited her whole being like lighting. She didn't have the lingering sensation of his touch that always made her want more. She just did not have any of that anymore... And she was pretty confident that he didn't neither.

But Percy was still her friend, her good friend who she is willing to go to hell and back again for-just like he is for her. He had been there for her whenever she was in a terrible period of her life. Now she had to do the same for him. She wanted to do it for him, for love or not.

The next two days were like ten lifetimes. She didn't rest much like she was told. She physically couldn't do it, her mind rebelled against her in every attempt. She mainly sat in her apartment and waited for some good news that she prayed to her mother would come.

She never received the news. Her prayers went unanswered. It was proven so two days later when Reyna and Frank came into her apartment and told her about her unrewarding search for Percy. They told her to pack for their ride in the morning. She and Reyna would be taking a pegasus to Camp Half Blood when the sun rises.

Annabeth nodded in agreement quietly, feeling completely defeated. They bid her a goodnight before leaving and she did the same to them. That night was long and sleepless as the two before.

The next morning came and, after the ate breakfast, Annabeth and Reyna took two winged horses and took off into the air, heading east for New York. The wind felt cool and nice through her hair and it filled her lungs with the clean, fresh air. The riding time gave her more time to think. She wasn't sure if that was a good factor or not.

She would enjoy the ride in the sky if it all had been under normal circumstances, maybe even flattering with Reyna with her, but she was too worried and too tired and too guilt filled to enjoy anything at the moment. No one spoke the whole 13 hours it took to get to Camp.

They landed on the beach that made Annabeth feel worse then she was in the sky. If Reyna noticed, she didn't show it. They were greeted by Chiron and Jason. Chiron hugged her like a daughter and Jason embraced her like a friend, and she forced a smile for them both. They lead the two girls over to the dinning hall were they ate dinner. Annabeth would usually enjoy this since it was her first time back to Camp since she moved to New Rome about two and a half years ago, but her stomach refused the food forcefully and she felt like crawling up into a ball whenever an old, friendly face came up to her to caught up with her.

After dinner, they headed to the main house were Jason told them that he hadn't found anything. People kept coming up to him, asking about Percy and his well being, but he would lie to them and say his fine. Annabeth was grateful to him for that. It would have been ungodly embarrassing for word to get out.

They called it a night soon afterwards, heading off to bed early so they could wake up early. They would make a plan for the search program durning breakfast and put it into action afterwards. Annabeth didn't protest from the plan, she just nodded and headed towards her cabin before she realized she was a twenty year old woman about to sleep in a cabin full of young teenagers.

She rejected and headed towards Cabin 3 and hoped that Poseidon didn't mind too much. She settled onto a bunk and close her eyes. As she tried to sleep, she recognized his scent of salt water and she decided to pretended that he was there and not missing.

She actually slept that night until Reyna bursted through the door hours later. Annabeth jumped out of her bed and nearly landed on the floor in total surprise. She gawked at the sight before her. The strong, fearless leader of New Rome, of Camp Juniper, standing before in a t shirt and basketball shorts, holding up a rolled up scroll like it was suppose to bring the second coming.

Annabeth almost snarled at her. "Reyna?" She questioned. "What are you doing here?"

Reyna stood there in the same stance for a good minute before reacting. She graded Annabeth's arm and swung her out of the room like she as light as nothing. She took hold of her blanket a second before and ended up taking it with her as Reyna and her ran over to the main house. Annabeth was just there hours earlier, and she was about to voice this until she saw a small gathering of new faces there.

Hazel And Frank stood side by side of each other, breathing heavily like they just arrived to the steps they stood in by running. Jason was there too with Piper hanging off his arm with a worried expression. Annabeth was hoping to avoid during her time here since she knew that she would demand on what was happening if Jason haven't already told her. She knew Annabeth too well to ever believe her lie.

Reyna and her soon joined them. Annabeth took her cover and wrapped it around herself since it was cold outside in her pj bottoms and ting top. Hazel approached her first and pulled her in a tight hug. Piper came over and did the same, hers being the tighter one. The two girl helped her up the steps, taking both her sides so she couldn't escape.

"What's going on?" Annabeth asked.

"Me and Frank found something this morning." Hazel answered. "Something to do with Percy."

They all raced up the steps and ran inside the house and into the meeting room. Chiron was there waiting for them in his wheel chair. They surrounded the ping pong table where she stood across from Frank who was now holding the scroll. Hazel was on his right and Jason was on his left.

"Warning viewer discretion is advised." He mumbled before opening up the scroll that magically brought up a cloud like scenery like a IM.

"What is this?" Annabeth asked confused. "Some kind of joke?"

"No." Jason confirmed her. "Just watch."

Annabeth bit her lip and did. Before her was a picture of a boy and girl sitting together. They looked nervous and uncomfortable.

"Hello." The girl started. "Hazel, Frank... This is Gwen."

"Dakota." The boy waved.

"We've heard about... Percy and him being recently missing." Gwen but her lip and looked slightly scared. "Well, a few night ago, we were hanging out on the town and we were slightly...tipsy."

The Dakota boy grinned slightly at that but the girl didn't notice and went on.

"We saw this. But we just though it was some crazy illusion or something. Then we heard and thought we should make sure..." She bit her lip again. "We hacked into the cameras in the park for the same night and found this..."

The seen changed into the view of the park last one night. The only light was from the glowing fountain were Percy soon came to. Annabeth's heart stopped at the sight of him stumbling over to the water and finally falling into a limp, broken position. There was no sound but she knew he was crying from the random racks that rattled his body.

After a few minutes, Percy sat up and stared at the water before him. Annabeth started to shake again. She had no idea of what he was thinking and it scared her to bits. His back was to them and she wasn't sure if he was speaking or not.

He then took a coin and threw into the water which cause a cloud turned up. It was black which meant the message couldn't get through.

She wasn't sure, but she thought that Percy talked to the IM anyway, like the call got through. This lasted to a good long period of time before Percy broke down again, putting his head into his hands.

For a short moment nothing happened. Nothing moved. But, suddenly, Percy slowly lean over to his side and dropped to the ground, laying there for a long while. He was motionless. Annabeth's heart thumped inside her chest so loudly and harshly to where it effected her to not think or act, and just stare in total helpless shock.

Then it happened. Out of the black mist of nothing, two long cloud like streams of air that were color of cigar smoke stretched out in a slow, ghostly way. At the top of them formed two hand like formations with long, sharp fingers. In one swift movement, they struck down and picked up the unconscious male on the ground.

Annabeth stood back completely horrified. What is that?!

Piper voiced her though as Reyna kept her hand on the sword strapped to her waist, as of she was about to faced the horrid movie like monster. Annabeth took in air as she continued to watch the monster hands lift the hero up and slowly bring him into the black cloud where he was token whole and swallowed entirely. The cloud dissolved afterwards and the scrolled rolled back up.

Annabeth felt the air leave her in a second again as she felt herself lose control and her sanity go wild and gone.

"Annabeth?" Piper put her hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Annabeth shook off her comforting touch and ran out the room, the building. The bursted through the door as fast as she could and dashed straight forward to the beach. She heard the cries after her but she blocked it off just as it came and ran onward. She came into the soft sand of the beach and crumbled completely on top of it. She needed the smell of salt water.

She let out a long held in scream into the sand that obscured the heart wrenching sound. She shook with each scream and bagged her fist into the grains, trying to release all the anger at once. It was an impossible task, she discovered and was soon stopped as she was lifted up and placed face first into warm, soft skin that reminded Her of Percy's, but soon found it to be Reyna's. It made her heart fluttered and sink all at once.

She didn't stop screaming or punching. She continued the action into the Latina's chest. She felt the hot tears soak her cheeks, causing her to scream more. She was so tired of crying. She was so tired of everything.

She soon calmed down and was left in a heavily breathing mess as Reyna still held onto her. Annabeth felt a hand holding onto hers and found it to be Piper's, who was sitting behind her, whispering words of support and comfort.

Once Annabeth had the strength and breath, she apologized to them.

"It's okay." Piper replied to her. "We're going to find, Percy. No matter what. We're here for you."

Reyna remained quiet. Annabeth nodded as she sat up slightly. Reyna didn't remove her arms. Annabeth, deep down inside her where her pride didn't control her, she liked that. She liked it a lot. Guilt filled inside her even more.

"We'll be there every step of the way. We will find him." Annabeth turned to Piper. Her forever changing eyes bright with effect. "We'll take all of Olympus down if it takes it. And the Underworld too, just for spite. We'll find him, Annabeth. We will."

Annabeth smiled and hugged her good friend. She said her thanks and turned back to Reyna. She didn't know exactly why but she wanted her to say something so badly.

"Um..." The leader of Rome bit her lip, not meeting her eyes. "If it makes you feel any better, you came beat me and Frank up. Seriously, we didn't even considered looking at the cameras in the park. I didn't even know we had cameras in the park, to be honest."

Annabeth found herself smiling and laughing at that. Piper was with her. Reyna met her eyes finally and smiled at her. That was the best thing out of it all to her.

The three girls stood, Piper and Reyna help her back onto her feet. and headed back to the main house where everyone was waiting for them so they could make a plan for the next move. Because they were, indeed, going to get Percy back.

{...}

Hoped you enjoyed it. I know I made Annabeth a bit OOC but I tried to expressed her

distress to the fullest. Hope it was still good for you all.

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time but I needed to plan out the plot from beginning to end, and time hasn't been a very good friend of mine lately, so it took a while.

Anyway, I have something to ask all the readers.

IMPORTANT QUESTION!

1) Would you still read this if I change the rating to M? I have considered putting some mature spot in the story line but I want to make sure that it's okay with the public if I do that. Will you guys still read it if it is changed to M? Please leave your answer in the comments or PM me.


	5. Chapter 5

The day ended rather quickly in Percy's option and before he could really comprehend everything he had been through the day. It was mind blowing, but at a rather slow paste, if that made any sense.

After his short encounter with the Ghost King, the guards took him to a room in the west direction of the castle and located him on the third door on the right (He had to keep reminding himself that or he would never find the place again).

The room itself was very pretty, going on with the same theme through the place, expect he had more lighting from the tall, open window. His bed was made of wood, had beautiful, soft red sheets and was bigger then life. He could easily fit ten other people on it, but he wasn't ever going to do that. After laying down on it once the guards were away and he had some privacy, he decided that no one else was going to get this bed. It was his bed that he was madly in love with and, once he talked Nico into making it illegal, he was going to marry this bed. End of story.

He also liked the view he got. He was laying on his future spouse when he heard the sound of crashing waves and smelt sea salt in the far off distance. He ran over to the window and found the beach not far off from behind the castle. He felt excited from the fact that maybe he could go swimming soon. He hadn't done that for so long-just take a nice, refreshing dip into the water to cool down his nerves. The thought was even better then marrying the bed.

He explored more through the room that was rather large for a spare. He found some books, but they were in the foreign language he had seen earlier. He also found a good sized wardrobe that had a lot of clothing in it. Sure most of it was togas and armor, but he managed to pull out a similar outfit to Nico's, with black riding pants and boots. His shirt was lush red and was made of satin with fine fur inside. He put it on and found it greatly comfortable. He planned on never taken it off. End of story to that too.

Percy, after he dressed himself, stopped exploring once he found that it was already dark outside. The sun set was just about over, the pink and purple sky turning blue and black. He noticed again how time seemed so different here. Wherever here maybe...

Percy walked over to the bed and sat down. He started to recall the night of his running out. He remembered everything so perfectly, it was almost dream like. He still had no real explanation for calling Nico out of no where, mainly he did it for... Oh he didn't even remember exactly. He wanted to get away, that's all, and he decided that Nico's truck of disappearing was the perfect way of doing just that. He wasn't sure if the guy would like hearing that.

He also had millions of questions to ask Nico. Starting with where the hell he was. He feels like he had just been dropped into a foreign country. He didn't know the language, the people, anything. He knew Nico, who apparently is king here, so that helps. Never hurts being tight with the boss of the place.

His head was twisted and swirled with questions for Nico. He wanted to know where he was? What was going on? Why did he bring him here?And if this is where he has been all these years? Millions of questions were forming inside his head, yet he doubt he would get the answers to all of them.

A knock on the door broke him out of his strain, causing him to stand up in surprise.

A woman entered into the room, poking her head inside first. She was a ghost dressed in a long brown dress that went pass her knees. She was young and she looked at Percy with kindness in her soulless eyes.

"Master Percy, it's time dinner." She spoke in a very thick accent that he couldn't recognized.

Percy nodded, thanking her as he made his way to the door. She let him through with a smile that he returned. He was about to walk on, until he realized that he had no idea where the dinning hall was. He stopped walking and turned to the maid who smiled at him again and walked before him. He could have sworn he heard her chuckle at him. He felt his cheeks burn.

She lead him down the hall and took a right to another long hallway before they entered into a large room that matched all the other rooms with dark colored walls and red rug covered floors. The dinning table that stood in the middle of the room looked as if it was made of some hard, black metal. Many silver platters that held different food on them were scattered across the table, filling the room up with their mouthwatering scents. Percy was thankful for his stomach not rumbling too loud at the sight; he didn't realized until then that he was starving.

Nico was seated on the far end of the table, already chowing down on his ham. He didn't look up to see him when he entered into the room but the sea spawn knew that he was well aware of his presence. Percy sat down at the opposite end of him as the ghost maid bowed before the king and exited the room.

Once it was just Percy and Nico, the only sound heard was the forks scrapping plates and soft breathing in huffs of chewing. Percy picked up his eating utensils and was about to dig in until he stopped. He recalled the story of Persephone and how she became the Queen of the Underworld. He almost lost him complete appetite, putting down his fork and knife.

"The food isn't poisonous Percy." Nico spoke up. The sound was a bell ringing through the hallow room.

Percy pursed his lips before responding. "Will I be stuck here if I eat any of it?"

Nico was still not looking at him, but Percy could almost see him smirking down to his plate. "This isn't the Underworld, Percy."

"What is this place then?" He questioned him without thinking. He stiffen as the king look up and met his eyes.

Nico laced his fingers together and placed them under his chin. He didn't look mad or annoyed, which slightly put Percy at ease and on edge. He always got mixed signals from him, making him never fully assured that if they were on good terms or not. Yes, Bianca's death was forgiven and done with but there was still some resentment from him afterwards. Percy understood why, and he respected it, but it was always changing from that to the opposite impression, to where he acted like he was actually okay with him. That and Nico has done a great deal for him and his friends in the pass two wars. If the younger demigod hated him or dislike him in anyway, would he really do all those task for him? Percy wasn't sure of that answer.

Nico signed slightly before answering to him. "This is Oltre Malavita." He spoke with a heavy strain on his hidden Italian accent. Percy felt a strange reaction inside of him at this and didn't know what to make of it. It was a good feeling, but he wasn't sure if it was a _good_ good feeling.

"In Italian, it's roughly translated into 'Apart From the Underworld'." He explained. Percy nodded as he dwelled over that for a few seconds before the king moved on. "It's spelled with some Greek lettering, but it mainly means the same. It wasn't till after a few of my first days here when I was looking up at the paintings in the other hallway when it clicked inside my head, and I was able to read it then."

Percy took a bite into his roll as the Italian explained his discovery. He swallowed before asking his next question. "How long have you been here?" He took another bite.

"Hard to say." He bit his lip. "The days here are so different. The days can be over in a short matte of hours or linger longer then life. Or well, that's how it feels. It's constantly changing here. I tried asking others about it but they don't care much about it. They're all died so time doesn't matter to them."

Percy took a sip of water. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to say what just came to his mind. He still wasn't sure of the man across from him, not that he ever was, but still. He bit his lip and prayed to the Gods that he gets to live another day.

"When I came here." He started. "You know, a few hours ago... The Giant War had been over for 3 years..."

Silence filled the room for good long second. Nico sipped his water. Percy ate his last piece of ham.

"That was the last time I saw you." Percy added in. He didn't think much about it before but now, looking back on it, he wished he thought of Nico more often. He recalled the fourteen-year-old boy, strapping himself to the Athena Parthenon, stating about his true take on second thoughts...

The ghost king darted his eyes down and then turned his head to the right. Percy couldn't help but notice he looked like his father from that angle in the lighting. Percy felt something stir inside at that. Hades, no matter how much of a hard ass he was, was a very powerful god, and Nico seemed to have inherited that from him.

"Interesting." He finally reacted from the comment.

"What is?" Percy asked, honestly curious.

He was quiet again; his eyes still starting at the other wall. Percy was scared for a moment he had done something wrong. Maybe he pushed him too far? Nico turned back to him, eyes landing sternly on his. Percy swallowed hard.

Nico's eyes in the flames of the candles on the table relieved there true color, which caused Percy to react by having shivers run up his skin in intense waves. All this time, Percy guessed that they were a very dark-almost black-brown. Now, in the candle light, Percy can clearly tell that they were the darkest of blues, like midnight sky blue. _They were beautiful._

"Why did you want to come here?" Nico questioned him. "That's what more interesting then anything esle."

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

Percy does. He has been looking back on the evidence for the pass hours. He kept repeating his message to Nico that he thought was left unanswered. Obviously, he heard him, clearly.

He wasn't entirely sure why he chose Nico out of the whole block. He hasn't seen him in years and he didn't think of him much. Yes, when everyone was wondering were he was and when would he come back, he was somewhat concerned. But Nico was just one of those people, he assumed at the time. The kind that don't stay in one place and often wonder off unexpectedly. Percy was worried but not too badly. The son of Hades was strong and independent; he could handle most things that were thrown at him. But he never expected this for the young hero. It blew his mind really, that this would happen to him. Not that it was good or bad, it just seemed that, to him, the younger demigod would live a normal life afterwards. Percy thought he would want that, all himself and all the others. Yet, here he was, ruling the dead in an unknown land.

Anyway, Percy figured that he picked Nico because he wanted the same position he boy was in, or what he thought he was in. He was away from everyone and everything that was related to their demigod lives and what had happen in them. And that's what Percy desired more then anything else.

"I just needed to get away." He replied to him after a pause.

An eyebrow above Nico's right blue eye rose. "To here?"

Percy pursed his lips before answering. "In my own defense, I didn't know you were here."

Nico smirked again. He nudged his right shoulder a bit. At least he gave the older boy that.

"That and..." He didn't really know why he was going to say this, but his curiosity was growing more, along with his comfort with talking to Nico. They never really held a long conversation like this before, and Percy found that nice. "Things have been rough after the war. With all the deaths and rebuilding afterwards..."

He lift that sentence to hang unfinished. He didn't was in the mood to talk about the other thing that crawled under his skin and attacked his mind. He didn't want to break down now, especially with Nico. This had been the first time in a long time he hadn't thought about it and he was driven to keep it that way.

Nico's smirk fell and somehow his blue eyes darken. Percy noticed how his breathing became more hallow and longer.

"I can relate." His whisper winded through the room.

"I can tell." Percy said. "You've done it."

Nico's eyes narrowed, but not in anger. Percy realized it was guilt developing in his eyes within that same second. He was shocked slightly.

He went on. "We all were worried about you. Especially Hazel." Percy wasn't sure, but he could have swore that he saw the ghost king flinched. "We didn't know where you were and we couldn't get to you..."

"That's life Percy." Nico spoke in a stoned tone. Even though they were buried by it, he could still sense the emotions laying underneath. "People come and leave and you have to move on with your life. It's your life, you can't rely it on others."

"We still missed you." Percy stated to him. Percy didn't miss him as much as Hazel or Jason, but still. His leaving had effects.

Nico but his lip as he looked away from him for a second before speaking. "I'm like you, Percy. I needed to get away. I had to do something for myself, for once."

Percy got his main message straight away and dead on, and his empathy with his was more then similar. It was equally identical.

Event since he was twelve years old, he had been at the beck and call for the Gods and had been till he was about eighteen. He had been through two wars, dozens of quest, and endless amount of improvement and support for them. And how is he repaid? With a shitty, fucked up life full of horrors from his pass and no light for his future because he was emotionally unstable as a Jenga tower.

And he understood even more of his shared desire of getting away from the possibility of ever being in that position again. He could clearly see why Nico left: to get the fuck away from the Gods and all the tasks that they want them to do. Nico got away to live peacefully without the Gods, something Percy used to think was something from a never fore filled dream.

Nico picked a grape off the bunch on his plate. He almost popped it into his mouth till he looked at Percy again, who was watching intensely for some reason with interest.

"Why did you have to get away, Percy?" He asked.

Because I fucked up everything. Percy though to himself. After Tartarus fucked me up.

"Why did you?" He countered back. Nico only smirked again and Percy smirked back this time, feeling safe enough with him to do so. He even found it somewhat cute looking on the younger demigod's face.

Nico took another grape and tossed it over to table to Percy. He caught it luckily and slowly out it into his mouth.

"So," he started after chewing. "The people here..."

"Yes." Nico answered. "They are ghost. Spirits of the dead."

Percy's mind railed at that a bit. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I." Nico stated. "Normally, when someone dies, their spirit goes to the Underworld to be judged. It's decided then if they go to either A.) Fields of Punishment B.) Fields of Asphodel or C.) Elysium."

"Yeah, I know." Percy nodded along. "That's how's it suppose to be."

"Yeah, but I have no idea how this place came into play." Nico expanded his hands in effect to show his confusion. "I first thought that maybe it's apart of the Fields of Asphodel or something. I've never heard about it before, and my father never mentioned it. I tried to explore out and see but I couldn't. I couldn't contact someone in anyway either."

"Really?" Percy asked, panicky.

"Yeah. I couldn't even get to Hades, which was enough proof to me that I wasn't anyway here the dead land."

"So we're trapped here?" Percy asked in nervousness. This couldn't be good.

"No," Nico confirmed him in a hard tone. "I just haven't found a way out yet. I'm sure it has a similar system to the way I got in but I haven't found it yet."

"Oh." Percy didn't feel any better.

"When I came here, the land was, at first, bare." Nico used his hands to help his explain. Percy could have laughed at the Italian habit he had if he wasn't scared out of his mind at the moment. "The only thing this place was was a grassy field with a beach and an empty castle."

"How?" Percy asked.

"I'm getting there." He held up his hand. "So I'm standing in this empty field and I decide to go to the castle here. There, Bradshaw found me and confirmed that I was the chosen one for the prophecy."

Percy looked at him funny. "What prophecy? Who's Bradshaw?"

"The guard that brought you in."

Percy snarled at the thought of that guy. "Oh. Him."

"Hey, he's a hard ass but he does his job well."

"I guess." Percy joked. Nico smirked at him but went on.

"Anyway, the prophecy is that the kingdom will once again come above there rest and become alive again when a son of Hades crosses the land. He takes the title of king and rules the land and when he dies or leaves, the kingdom returns to the state of rest until the next king comes along."

"Leaves?" Percy raised a brow.

"Exactly. If some have left, their had to be an exist." Nico explained. "I don't know how, and I'm going to ask in case of their reactions."

"That's understandable." Percy could see how that might back fire on him. "But do you mean by the whole resting thing?"

"When I first came here, no one was here. No roads or houses or anything. But once I accepted the title, the earth shook and everything came up from the ground, along with the souls."

"But they're still..."

"Yes." Nico nodded. "Bradshaw explained it to me as a blessing from Hades they received a long time ago. They're still dead no matter what, but they prefer to live in this manner, like they were still alive. They cause no trouble whatsoever, and most the time, everything is calm and peaceful. They believe that Hades sends them a son of his to rule here as a blessing, because they honored him the most out of the gods when they were alive."

"But Hades..."

"Didn't send me here." Nico finished for him. "The first king they had here was through. And the few after him. But I wasn't sent here, I just stumble upon here by accident."

"Do you think you're father wanted you here? And he just did it in a weird way?" Percy asked.

"When he led me to Camp Juniper, he led me there personally. I don't know if he will do it again or what, but I don't think he sent me here. I'm pretty sure I was being stupid at the time and just popped here." Nico elaborated.

Percy took notice of how he didn't tell about how he found the place, but he didn't push it. He knew Nico would tell him when he wanted to. But Percy was still incredibly curious about this new place and it's king.

"Can you get a hold of your dad to ask?" Percy asked.

"I can't get a hold of anyone." Nico said. "I've tried many times."

"Then how could I get a hold of you?" Percy asked.

Nico shrugged. He looked completely lost on the subject just like Percy himself. "I can't get to anyone, even the gods..."

Percy felt his eyes widen by that statement. Nico took noticed too, the light of a certain emotion shined bright in his eyes.

Percy knew what the hero across from him meant from that comment. No contact to the Gods and there needs, or even friends or family members... He felt guilty and terrible for the great feeling of relief and freedom that spread through out his body.

Nico titled his head back a bit, his pale skin glowing in the low light. His eyes met Percy's, open widely, and they didn't leave he's. Mainly because Percy couldn't, and also for the fact he didn't want to.

"That can easily be consider both a bad...and possibly a good thing."

Percy smiled at him from the statement which the boy returned.

"I suppose so."

{...}

Thanks for reading. Please review because they help me write better. Thank you to all that followed and faved because the support is greatly appreciated.

Also, I will change this story to rated M, but I'll do it with the chapter were it does get mature. I'll leave a warning in the chapter before to let you all know, but, overall, it's a whole away.

Thanks again for reading. Please Review!


	6. Chapter 6

Hazel was the one to receive to scroll by being thrown at her window and landing in her bedroom floor. She was also the one to open it first and run to get her boyfriend, Frank, and show it to him. She was also the one to take him and herself into Arian and dash over to Camp Half Blood and show it to them all.

So, of course, _absolutely_ of course, she be the one to receive a dream visit from her father that same night.

She, while asleep, found herself in a dark room with only a throne made of human skulls and bones. She stood there, in her frizzy pink pj bottoms and Frank's oversized t shirt, in front of the royal seating as she internally groan to herself. She was tired and overworked and under appreciated and now she had to deal with her freaking father... _Gods..._

The girl simply blinked naturally and there he was. Her godly father, Pluto, the roman god of death and riches, was sitting on the throne, legs crossed and all, like he has been there the whole time.

Hazel noted that he must be good at that, since he has been absence in the whole spam of her life. Then again, she really couldn't complain, since all the gods did that.

"Hello Hazel." The god spoke, his voice deep an his tone dark.

Hazel bowed before him. "Father." She kept her tone just as dark, just as cold.

"I'm sorry for this sudden visit but I require your assistance in a certain problem I believe we both share at the moment."

Hazel felt her eyes narrow and the corners of her mouth become firm.

_Your apology doesn't mean shit to me._

This is one of the few times her father had actually spoken to her in person, if this even counts as so, but it wasn't the only time when he asked her to do his bidding. But, hey, she was a demigod. It came with the parentage.

But Hazel was somewhat comforted to know that maybe this did have something the to with her problem; her problem being that one of her closest friend have literally vanished through a black out Iris Message and left without a trace to where he is or if he was even still alive. Maybe her father knew where he was and could maybe warn them of what they would faces when they traveled there to get him back. Maybe even tell her why they took him in the first place. Yes, it was bluntly true, He was not a demigod to take lightly, and his rare parenthood didn't even begin to completely explain why.

Percy Jackson was one of the most powerful demigod Hazel has ever encountered. She had seen him in combat during war and stepped back in amazement and fear of it. She had seen him after his journey through Tartarus, where he was still able to stand tall and have his sovereignty still glowing off his dirty, bloody skin. She has seen him in the most dangerous situation, where one of his loved ones are in danger. She'll never forget the way his eyes fired in rage and adrenaline as he targeted his enemy and finished them off to their death. It was enough to convince anyone that he was a very puissant man that would be very serious enemy to have but a valuable ally. He had done some imaginable things: he fought the Titan Kronos, fought along with the seven in battles of the Giant War, retrieved the golden eagle for Camp Juniper, and saved the world countless of times.

At first, when he barely met him, she just assumed that he was a lesser version of Jason Grace, who she declared the greatest hero at the time. She soon found herself wrong on the matter when she went onto a quest with him about three years ago, and saw first hand what the son of Poseidon was capable of.

That only caused Hazel to worry even more about her friend and his safety. There was so many enemies out there that could easily get there hands on him. His scent was extremely strong to monsters and he has caused himself to have many opponents who would love to get revenge on him. Hell, one could have him in their grasp right now. The possibilities were endless and it scared her shitless.

"We do?" She asked the god shyly.

Her father scowled at her and her little act. He stood from his throne and walked into the dark for a few steps. He stopped his steady, soft steps before she lost him completely in the dark. She found it so familiar of him easily blending into the shadows. It reminded her of her brother. Her heart wrenched with sadness.

"Yes, we do." He spoke with his back turned to her. "And I also apologize for my current form of being. I should be in my other, since it would be more appropriate for this type of causation, but I'm afraid that I will not be able to keep that side in control while I try to negotiate with you on this matter." He now turned to her, face in a neutral expression. "I could do anything to you and never remember it."

Hazel took his threat right off. She almost believed that he read her mind or something. If he was still doing so, her new thoughts were have defiantly have her dead by now.

Overall, they simply told that she was done with this for her already long and tiring night and wanted to gather the information to tell her friends about it at the meeting they would have in the morning. That being the more child friendly version of those thoughts.

But his speech struck her more then his deadly words. She knew what he meant by 'my other form'. The Gods had two parts of there personalities: the Roman and the Greek. Hazel was presented with the Roman version, which was who her true father was, which was why she was Roman too. She had no attachment to his Greek side in anyway but one, and the thought of it being the cause of it all made her fill with so many emotions she felt as if she was going to crumble down to dust from them all battling inside of her.

"What is this about?" She asked him harshly. She couldn't control the turmoil boiling inside her. If this was what she was starting to form inside her mind...

"Your comrade, Perseus Jackson, son of my brother, has been taken away to a place he does not belong in." He now faced her with his eyes hard with seriousness. "I have contacted you, my daughter, about his recuse from his captor."

Hazel was slightly put out by the way he phrased captor. It made her feet go cold and caused to senses to become dull. The warlike clash in the bottom pit of her stomach grew too great to ignore. Her pulse raced to ungodly speed. Her head started to thumped at a long, spaced out tempo. She swallowed hard as she felt the tear swell up from the back of her lids. She prayed for so long for this day, but she would never want it in this condition.

Three years ago, Hazel lost her brother. It was after the last battle of the Giant War when he vanished. She looked for him on the field for hours, hoping to find him standing and breathing, instead of on the ground with closed eyes. It was late at night when she gave up. She broke down and sobbed in the middle of the field. Frank and Piper found her later on, asking her what was wrong in soft tones. She told them as Frank held her and their reactions were the same as before, they pity her, but that was all.

They never found him afterwards. They heard from a few good friends that they saw him alive after the declared victory if the Camps. Another said that they saw him walk away to his cabin while the celebration was roaring on. Hazel ran over to his cabin, tearing up the place to find some kind of clue of his whereabouts. There was nothing.

Hazel didn't give up from there though. She kept searching for him. She down to the Underworld and searched for him there and then went hunting in New Rome, wondering that maybe he escape to there. She was unsuccessful everywhere she went. All her endless IMs went astray. Not even Jason's could reach him. It was as if he vanished out of thin air, like he blew away in the wind like the left over dust of the monsters.

Most of the people outside of the seven did not really mind his absence. Some even had the nerve to day good riddance, like he was nothing more then an annoying gnat to there supposedly glorifying being. One day, when she was visiting her friends at Camp Half Blood, about a year after the war, when a son of Aphrodite voiced about her careless view on the boy who he found unworthy of even living.

Hazel had never felt so much rage ignited in her body in the spam of less then a second. She still doesn't remember grabbing her sword with such a firm grasp and poked it up to the boy's cheek. She only remembers Frank calling out her name in shock, trying to broke her out of her hate. She remembers Annabeth taking the sword out of her hands and keeping it until the next day. She recalls perfectly of how the boy got up and ran afterwards, which fills her with guilt to this day, but still, she doesn't regret it.

What she does regret more then anything else in her whole life is that she let her brother go. She forgot about him for a minute and he slipped from her life in the first second. He was the one to come and bring her back from the dead in the Underworld. He was the one who took her hand and led her out of the Field of Asphodel and brought her back into the light of life. He have her the very thing she had taken away from her when she was young.

He wasn't her full brother, possibly, in a different set, he was maybe not even her half, but she declared him as if he was maybe her twin, because he loved her just like she loved him. They have grown closer over the period of the Giant War, and it made feel better about life knowing that she had him there for her in support. He was a good brother, even though most don't see it like she did.

"I believe you know who this captor is, just like I do." Pluto challenged her.

Hazel's breathing shorten to almost nothing as her nerves went haywire. "It's Nico, isn't it?"

She finally faced her father who stood to her side. Once she caught his sight, her body went stiff and her heart, brain, and lungs malfunctioned to a complete halt. From the tall man that was once with her, now stood another. He was pale too, but he had darker hair that hanged from his head in tousles. A short haired beard darken his square jawline and dully pointed skin. His eyes were so dark, they were undoubtably black, maybe even darker then his pupils.

Hazel stepped back slightly at the new male in the room and blinked. Then her father was back once again. He stood there calmly before her like nothing of the pass three seconds ever happened.

In the first second, at the very sight, she thought it was Nico, her brother.

In the second, she realized it wasn't him; that it actually Hades.

In the third second, when he changed back into Pluto, Hazel didn't know what to think.

"Nico Di Angelo," Pluto took a step towards her. "Has discovered and claimed himself a world that is almost as old and as powerful as the Gods."

Hazel watched him, in slowly dissolving shock, cross over her and head onward to the other dark side of the room. She followed him into the shadows to find more light as they walked down a long lane.

"The land used to be apart of my realm. I created it from the pure soil if the Underworld, in a replica of the same kingdom that used to rule above."

He stopped walking and Hazel came up to his right. Together, they stood and glazed upon a large portrait of a woman with, long dark hair and red, rosy cheeks, sitting in the middle throne of three. On both sides of her were two young boys, both with somewhat similar facial straits to each other and the woman. Hazel was sure she could assumed correctly that the trio was royalty.

"A long time ago, I met the woman you see here in my Greek form. Her name is long forgotten but not by me, and it shall never be forgotten." Hazel glanced from the corner of her eye to only see great distaste in the god's eyes as he spoke of her. "She ruled as Queen of her homeland and soon gave birth to a heir that was also my son. My first demigod child to ever walk the earth."

Hazel was surprised by that. She looked at the boy to the woman's left. He looked like the woman the most out of the two boys. He inherited her round features and bright eyes with a slightly up lighted nose. He did look somewhat like the other death god Hazel got a second long look at, enough to think it was his son, but the other boy kept stealing her sight from the other. It set her nerves on fire with anxiousness.

"A year later she gave birth to another male heir, but not my own child that I expected at first. The boy belonged to my brother, Zeus." Hazel almost saw that coming, and the fact it was Zeus made it all the more cheesy. Hazel looked at the boy on the right. He looked like her friend, Jason Grace, but with brown hair and grey eyes. "Years later, when her term of ruling was about to end, she came upon the fact that since my son was older, he had the fully right to the undivided throne. She found this unacceptable to her standards."

_It isn't exactly her choose, now is it?_ Hazel thought to herself, already knowing the ending to the sad yet cliché of the life for a normal child of the death god, neither Roman or Greek. She loathed it to the very end, hating the fact that her parenthood almost destined for her to have that kind of ending because of people and their stereotypes and improper, judgmental opinion.

"She favored my nephew more then him and desired for him to become king, but it was almost impossible to do. The villagers have favored my son over him for his war skills and his tolerances. Zeus's filth was more known to be a woman charmer like his father then a suitable king. But the Queen refused to take it as the fate of her kingdom. Once her favorite became the required age for ruling, she convinced him to take matters into his own hands. She sent my son out to the woods, saying that there was a thief out there to be killed. He obeyed her and went out, and when his back was turned, in the dark of the night..."

Hazel risked another glance over to the god beside her. In his eyes were the smallest hint of sadness, and for another small amount of seconds, he seemed human to her.

"They framed it as a murdered by the thief in the woods that never existed into the first place. Zeus's spawn soon took the throne afterwards, and the kingdom soon fell apart. Rebellion broke out and the peace came crumbling down like the kingdom itself. The retired Queen was even killed by an enraged mob of widowed wives of soldiers, who stormed into the castle." Pluto signed deeply as he continued. Hazel actually concerned for his emotions at the time, and soon brushed it off. "The son was soon beheaded afterwards and soon joined his mother in the Fields of Punishment. My own son, who watched the downfall of his beloved city from my house with me, begged me to spare the innocent lives that took part of the matter of killing the ruling family. He asked me to give them a second chance of a happy living in the kingdom. I granted him his wish."

The god turned away from the painting then, walking back to the area of the throne. Hazel walked beside him slowly, to hear more of the history. "I created the land on the farthest out cast of the Underworld. I sent the lost souls who died during the revolution for their rest and placed my son as king. It was peaceful and almost perfect there, until my son decided that he was ready for a new chance at life. I understood his wish and let him take a dip in the Lethe River. But the villagers didn't want to be ruler under anyone else, so I put them into peaceful rest till another son of mine comes along to rule. I have sent some of my sons, who I found fit out of the many, over the centuries to rule as they lived. But once they died or chose to leave, the kingdom, once again, went to rest. But something happened over the long period of years when I have no son to bare the land. The kingdom itself somehow managed to cut itself away from my realm and flow up to the grounds of the mortal world."

Hazel almost stopped walking all together. She found that mind bottling. How could a piece if the land of the dead just cut itself off from the rest of it?

"I didn't realized the disapartment till recently. I assume that it must have taken place during the opening of the Doors of Death, during the war. I have tried to find it whereabouts but I'm afraid that it's beyond my powers and authority."

It hit Hazel like a truck right away. It was like a slap in the face that she used to get from the nuns at her old school when she was alive the first time. "The land beyond the Gods." She breathed in hesitance. "Alaska?"

Pluto turned to her. "Not necessarily. Alaska is, indeed, a possibility, but it's not the only one." He replied. "But I have tired to located it many times, unable to find it, because, for I think, it is hidden away by the mist. I can not do anything to detest it, which is abnormal. That is why I have came to you, my daughter."

Hazel's voice caught up inside her throat, unable to come out from his fear of his interested usage from her. Hazel learned to use the mist to her bidding durning the war, learning from the magic goddess, Hecate herself. She has dibbled father into the subject to maybe learn something to help her to find her brother or to help her pass her finals at school. But that still didn't really compare to what her father might want her to do. It's hard enough to tame the mist under your command and make it do your bidding, but actually making it reveal it's own hidden secret is a while another task.

"What does this have to do with Nico?" She questioned him. "How does this effect him in any negative way?"

"The kingdom is not an ideal place for it to settle in." Pluto answered. "In fact, it's the worse. The land is in a very vulnerable position on mortal land, even with the mist. Spirits who might haunt the land can easily see pass it's mask and enter in an out of it as they please. This also goes for the same for the spirits, and even monsters, here." Hazel raised a brow at that. She couldn't see how.

Pluto went on to explain why. "The land the kingdom stands on connects the very outskirts of the Underworld, where it first laid, to the human world where it lays now, making it very easy for any spirit to go out or in as they please. And with the mist in their favor, they can never even be suspected of crossing out of my land. It's a free gateway for anyone to go in or out of to the dead and to the living."

It dawned on Hazel before he even finished. She felt her heart sink down to her stomach and her nerves go shaky. She could believe it. It didn't seem to be possible by any means yet she doubt her father would lie about something as big as this.

"It's a second set of the Doors of Death." Hazel breathed.

"Yes." Pluto answered with hard, cold eyes. "So whoever controls the land, controls the passageway. It's the entree and exist of the dead and the living that I can not control."

"I don't understand." Hazel grasped, still in shock. "What does this have to do with Percy? What will happen to Ni-?"Before Hazel could ask more of her million questions, a voice ranged out into the hallow room. It wasn't till seconds later when Hazel realized it was saying her own name and it was Frank's voice.

Hazel wasn't sure what to do then. Was she suppose to excuse herself from her father to see why her boyfriend wanted? Would he even let her?_Sorry Dad, I know you really need me to help you fix this crisis over the free spirits into the mortal world and vice versa, but my boyfriend is calling me right now and we need to talk about out movie date next Saturday._ She blushed and mental smacked herself for the thought.

She wasn't sure to call out to Frank or to ignore him. She was never taught on what to do in these kind of moments. Gods, she was helpless.

Pluto lunged at her, taking her by the shoulders, his hands with a grip if steel, and made her look at him into the eyes. She never been this close to her father before and it slightly frighten her. Pluto was a scary looking man up close.

"Listen, Hazel." His tone was darker then black and his scowl was harder then bronze. "You must find them and find the lost kingdom before someone else does and take advantage of it for there own gain. You must do this, Hazel."

Frank's voice became louder and more frequent. She was started to feel herself laying on her bed, her skin touching her silky sheets and a large hand with a soft touch gently wiggling her shoulder.

"Hazel." The girl turned back towards the harsh tone. She almost jumped back when she found herself face to face with the other form of the death god. Hades's eyes were ever darker and harsher then Pluto, which scared her down to the core. "You have to go and bring Perseus out of the kingdom. It's the only way to save my son. Nico has a challenge before him that will test his limits as a hero, as a king. If he is to win what he is about to face, you have to get Perseus away from him. It's the only way to save him and the Doors. Do you understand me?"

"Yes." Hazel almost choked. "Yes. I do." Frank's voice was louder now, and she felt herself wake up as her vision blurred.

"You have to go and find them and bring Perseus back." Hades ordered her. As she slowly came back to her world, he called out to her one lat time. "It's the only way to save my son, Hazel! You have to do this! I refused to see another one of my sons fall! Follow my orders, Hazel! _Save my son_!"

She woke up in a shortage of breath. When her eyes open, she sharply took in air and Frank came into her vision. He was to her side and placed both hands on her shoulders like the gods did to her before, but his hold was light and careful, like he always was with her.

"Hazel?" He asked her, his tone worried. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

She glanced to him, coming back for the world fully by looking at his face. "I need to see the others." She stated. "Now."

{...}

The six demigods ate their breakfast at the meeting ping pong table that morning. Hazel tried her best to chew down her bacon and waffles, but due to her lack of an appetite, she ending up giving her left overs to Jason who didn't seem to notice his vegetarian girlfriend's disapproving glare.

Once everyone was finished, they all listened to Hazel's tale about her encounter with Pluto, and apparently Hades, at some points. During the whole ordeal, she kept her voice firm and steady, while she nervously and constantly moved her hands in her lap. She was twisting her promise ring on her right ring finger most of the time. She recently got it from Frank for their third year anniversary and hasn't taken it off since, loving every second she wore the small, simple band with a heart shape diamond. Hazel saw that Frank noticed halfway through the story and took both her hands into his large one. It was a strange thing the two had but it comfort her enough to continue the story with some confidence.

When she finished, no one said nothing at first. Then Annabeth spoke up. "The fact that your father talked to you about this instead of Poseidon... Well, I don't know what to make of it."

That scared her pretty damn bad. Hazel swallowed. "All that I know is that Percy and Nico are somewhere beyond the God's domain and it's not Alaska."

"That helps." Frank mumbled. "That's the only place I knew that was beyond the Gods."

"I thought it was the only one, to be honest." Jason added in. "But anyway, after we find the place, we apparently have to go there and some how break the mist momentarily to go get Percy out of this place of the dead and bring him home without Nico. And that is suppose to save him from whatever he is about to face."

"Yeah, pretty much." Reyna nodded. "But that plan has so many holes in it, that it's barely held together."

"It's what Pluto ordered me to do." Hazel shrugged. "Or well... Hades, in a similar lighting."

"But we don't know where we're going, first of all." Piper put in. "How are we going to find that out?"

Hazel bit her bottom lip. She didn't know how to fill that hole in. Across from her, Annabeth sat up straighter with her eyes brows scrubbed up and her lip in a firm line. It was her thinking face and Hazel found it to be the beautifulest sight in the world right then and there.

"You've met Iris, the goddess, right?" She asked her and Frank.

"Yes." Frank answered in hesitant. "Why?"

"Do you remember where?"

"Um..." He thought about it for a moment. "In Mendocino, California. In some small connivence store. Why?"

"If Percy's IM somehow got through and to Nico..." Annabeth held up her hands.

"Then it went to where his location is. Which mean Iris should have an idea of where he is." Reyna finished for her. The blonde smiled towards her which she returned.

Something tucked in Hazel at the sight. She had noticed that the two girls were becoming closer over the years, maybe even to something more. She wasn't sure if it really was like that, but it did surely looked like it. She could tell that Jason noticed it too, and she planned to talk to him about it later.

"It's worth a shot." Jason voiced his view. "It's better then nothing. Now for the bigger question, who's going?"

"I am for sure." Hazel said. "But not all of us can go, I'll only need three other at most."

Reyna made eye contact with Frank. "One of us has to stay for Camp Juniper."

Frank pursed his lips and glanced at Hazel from the corner of his eye. She knew he wanted to go with her. He was always over protective of her and her well being. Yes, sometimes it was annoying but it was always sweet of him to at least be considered.

He turned to Reyna. "You know Nico better then I do." He stated. "It might be better for you to go then me."

Hazel knew it was hard for him to do that but she was happy he did it anyway. She loved Frank but Reyna was defiantly the better option. She might need help with Nico if the situation gets out of hand.

"Okay." The praetor nodded. "I'll go."

"I'm going too." Annabeth stated. "If that even needed to be said."

The four turned to Jason and Piper, who were holding a conversation through each other eyes. It wasn't till a minute later when Piper looked away and pouted. "I'm going." Jason smiled with victory.

"Okay." Hazel nodded. "It's decided. We leave for California in the morning."

{...}

Thanks for reading! Please, please review. I really need to know if the story is good. They help a lot!

The chapters are mostly be back and forth from either Percy's or Nico's P. O. V and then one of the four that are going On the quest. I expect them to mostly be In Jason's and Annabeth's, that's why I added them onto the character listing. If any of you have anymore questions, please feel free to ask in your review or PM me, I would love to answer them!


	7. Chapter 7

Percy woke up to the sound of a bell ringing wildly, uncontrollably shaking his room and causing the furniture to chatter from there position in the room. He even fell out of bed and smacked down to the floor, face fist, covers and all.

He first thought it was an earthquake, trying to find cover at first but then it stopped. The outrage, screeching noise of men calling out orders and the shuffling of armor and weapons replaced it and the hero himself knew the sound all too well. It fired him right into action.

He got off the floor and threw a shirt on before grabbing Riptide and dashing out of the room. He stood in the hall and looked around his surroundings before backing away to the door he just came out of as a large block of soldiers march over him. Percy watched as the dozens of ghost dressed in thick, black armor march on, their dead eyes set forward in an unbreakable strain. Percy swallowed, finding the sight before him somewhat scary. He had seen armies before, even some of the dead, but this set him off a bit. The only dead army he had actually seen before where made of skeletons that were soldiers in their earlier lives.

He had never seen one made of ghost and, honestly, never really considered it to be any different. He didn't see till now that it could be so, but he didn't exactly know how. He was how the sun beamed through their air like bodies and wondered how they could possibly die if they're already dead? Skeletons were dead, yes, but they usually got a bone knocked out of them and crumbled, and they were good enough to last long enough to kill a good amount of enemies before they fell. But a ghost, with no organs or bones or anything to lose...The thought of the answer gave him shivers.

He pushed the unsettling feeling aside and dashed forward to the main throne room at the end of the hall. He looked over the railing to find the general ghost Bradshaw standing in front of the throne as he called out orders to variety of quarter of soldiers that went off in every direction. More of them were at the pile, scampering around before grouping together and waiting for orders. Percy searched the crowd for Nico, trying to find some living flesh out of the ghost bodies. He couldn't find nothing but the dead warriors.

His pulse and heartbeat simultaneously increased in paste to blistering velocity. His skin rattled along with his nerves, sending electrifying waves up and down his body. He gripped the railing with a tight clutch as he search through the crowd below him before swirling around and scanning the hall behind him. He still found no Ghost King in the end and it scared him shitless.

He was about to call for him till the crash of shields and swords followed by two battle cries.

Of course, he only been in Oltre Malavita for about a month and it's already gone to hell.

Percy's fighting instincts took over and he dashed down to the throne room. He ran for the pile and grabbed a breast plate and shield. The second he strapped both on, he uncapped his pen, and jolted towards the door for a whole two steps before a tug on the back of his armor. He stepped back and turned to become face to face with the same ghostly face he was close up to when he first arrived to Oltre Malavita.

Bradshaw breathed heavily in his face, his soulless eyes enraged and his mouth in a tight line. Percy glared right back. He still wasn't a particular fan of the ass, and he really wasn't at that moment.

The general screamed in his face in the foreign tongue of the place. Percy was actually able to make out a few words in there right away and maybe some more if he thought about it for a whole but he didn't get the message.

Bradshaw yelled at him for a long while and Percy was going to take it but then he realized the factor of what was in front of him. Over his time here, Percy noticed that Bradshaw was not only the second command over the whole army, but also Nico's right hand man in everything he does. The two were seen together a lot when they were working. Why isn't he with him now?

The answer came to him soon, head on, and his throat went dry. He cut Bradshaw off of his screaming with his own. He just shouted out a good few of made up words he made to sound like the language with a few cusses in English he just threw in there for the hell of it. Overall, it threw the general off and gave the demigod enough time to run off and head for the door yet again. He didn't turn back when Bradshaw called back for him.

The hero bursted through the doors an came upon the worse sight. A large, long band of soldiers, in different clothing of all kinds, on horses, charging froward towards the castle. They rode through the white lanes of the village, citizens dogging out of there way to avoid being killed by being trampled by horses. Some of the men even swung their swords around in aim of the people, trying to chop there heads off. Other shot some arrows at defenseless people and they evaporated into nothing but air.

Percy gasped at the sight before gritting his teeth in anger. He was about the lunge towards the incoming group of invaders till a huge black bundle of shields went ahead of him. The bundle moved quickly, just as fast as their opponent, and collided with them in a thundering bang. Some of the homeland soldiers evaporated and some of the enemy did as well, but a good dozen or two advanced forward towards the palace. Percy realized then that they were ghosts too.

In the far distance, he saw another large section of the enemy approaching in the same direction. Instantly, two separate groups of Malavitains solider appeared from behind and above homes of the Main Street and attacked the group from the surrounding sides or from airborne above them. It was an impressive sneak attack. Something Percy certainly never seen before.

But the great group still approach them and a smaller group faced before them soon forcefully met with them in a collision of violence. Percy saw a ghost fall down to the group and had a small flashback to when he saw a camper go down the same way before being suck whole by the ground under their feet. He blinked, and came back to the present, his need to fight increasing dramatically.

Three enemy soldiers came out if the mess with being killed. The one in front of him by a yard made eye contact with him, and had the balls to grin at him like he was a good friend he was about to fuck over.

Percy glared back at him. "Come at me, you sorry son of a bitch!"

The spirit did and there swords collided with a loud clang. Percy was easily able to get an clear spot, slinging his sword through the solider's chest. After he vanished, two more advanced towards him. Percy easily finished them as well but four more came to him them and he soon found himself in a never ending attack position.

It didn't help that he was rusty either. He found himself lacking in his swift swipes and blocking holds. He was also getting tired rather quickly, which he never recalled happening before, but he kept thinking about all the battles he fought with greater opponents. He still went on till the wide group surrounding him stared to shrink.

He cut through two more when he saw more ghost soldiers by his side, fighting along with him. He was thankful for a whole second till he saw a dark figure behind him, sword drawn and aimed. A certain part in his back tingled.

The son of the sea god circled around and made the first attack onto the guy, but he was proven to be a better swordsman then he assumed he was. The fighter almost immediately push his back as he fierily blocked every one of his attempts. Percy pushed himself into over drive as he blocked his aim for his shoulder and twisted his sword arm around but the guy quickly reacted.

Percy managed to back the guy up to where he had to climb onto the statue behind him to avoid being stabbed. Percy bit back his shout of aggression and swung towards his head. The man's helmet flew off out towards the still rising battle around them. The sight was shocking.

"Nico?!" Percy cried over in surprise.

The Ghost King, who was breathing quite heavily, spat out a bit of blood.

"Percy!" He cried in sassiness, reacting in annoyance.

Nico lunged forward, taking hold of his shoulder, and killed the spirit behind him. "What are you doing here?!" He yelled into his ear.

Percy faced him, their noses crushed together. "We're under attack!" He could feel his warm breath on his face."I'm protecting this place!"

"Like hell you are!" Nico screamed as the two boys stabbed the same ghost that was coming up from the side.

"Why were you fighting me?!" Percy asked him as he turned 180 degrees and chopped two heads off.

"Why didn't you listen to me?!" Nico shot back as he took down another ghost behind him.

"What?!" Percy was beyond confused. He leaned in to kill another but Nico beat him to it. The ghost king grabbed his shirt and brought him face to face again. Percy could find his breath as those angry dark blue eyes boarded into his. They were even more beautiful then before.

"You are going to go back to that castle, and staying there till this is over!" The son of death ordered him.

Percy grasped at him. "No! I'm fighting!"

"No, you're not!"

"Like hell I'm not!"

The demigod tried to pass the other, left to right to left again, but Nico blocked him every time.

"I'm not going to dance with you in the middle of a battle, Percy!"

"Then move!" Percy shoved his sword into a ghost's chest that came from the right as Nico killed the one on the left. The boy then try to shove Nico out of the way but the king stood his ground firmly.

"Sei testardo diretto Toro!" He finally snapped at Percy. He could tell that the boy was indeed pissed.

"What did you just call me?" The sea prince asked.

Nico let out a loud groan in frustration. Percy, once again, took his chance and tried to run off but failed again when the son of Hades grabbed his elbow and pulled him down to the ground, landing on his ass.

The hero glared up to the guy above him. Nico's hair was soaked with sweat, his tousled locks literally dripping from it. He was still breathing deeply but slowly, which made Percy wonder how he managed that. A bit of blood was starting to tinkle out of the corner of his mouth as he bit his bottom lip down hard. Percy felt the same unsettling feeling he had been feeling for a month again, still unable to define what it means.

The king called out orders in the native language and two ghost soldiers came bet and took Percy by his arms, lifting his feet above the ground. The two men bowed to Nico before running off towards the palace.

Percy struggled in their grips, only being able to turn back to halfway face Nico. "You asshole!"

Nico shouted something back at him that he didn't understand, before diving back into the battle. The two men carried him through the doors and up to his room. They flung him into and locked the door after slamming it shut. Percy knew they were probably guarding it too, since the sound of decaying footsteps never came.

Percy stood, still wearing his chest plate and holding his sword, and groan in anger. Fucking Nico.

The demigod paced the room for a moment before his eyes landed onto the window. He sneakily crept over to it and open the glass. He stuck his head out and observed how the battle itself was going, even stepping onto the ledge and holding into the side for support. It looked as if they were winning and were about to push the enemy out. He was about cheer in joy until the saw a sight that made his own skin crawl. The ghost that have fallen in battle, that evaporated into air, reappeared right before everyone, on the same spot they died on, and went on into the battle again, fighting like nothing had happen. This happen for both sides. Percy watched in shock as men he seen fall by his sword come back from the ground, rising back to life from a swirling form of air back into a silhouette of a man in armor.

He soon found Nico out of the crowd, racing up to the status and climbing onto to as he did before. He got to the top and looked around as the battle raged on. He wore his black clothing underneath his golden mixed with bronze armor. His legs were in the golden twig lining again, even lacing down to his knees hight boots. He stood tall as he took out his other sword that was strapped to his belt. Percy studied the new weapon. He had seen it to many times in it's sheath, silently wondering what it's purpose was. Nico carried it everywhere with him, always careful around it, like it will stab him if his not too careful. Percy feels like he had seen it before, or at least something familiar to it, but he really couldn't confirm his suspension.

The blade of shining sliver was thrown to the ground, half of the blade impaled into the stone. Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Percy tighten his grip on the window, trying to not fall to his death. The battle halted within the same second and men cried out in surprise. They were soon silenced by the earth splitting open into a large abyss.

Percy felt his mouth go dry and his jaw dropped. He gawked at the King, who was just fighting with such grace and force, now jump down from the statue and stand at the end, glazing down like he was the ruler of the Underworld himself. Percy had never seen someone with such a strong radiation of power and strength. He was hard for him to believe that it was actually Nico for a moment.

The dark headed boy called out an order into the black crack, the last syllable of the last word echoing into it. Almost immediately, a pair of white, thin hands grasped the edge and pulled out a full skeleton warrior in armor. The reaction was mad as the enemy soldiers screamed and dashed out of the large group of fighter.

The first skeleton rose up, the second and third one soon following. Nico quickly enforced them with the task he assigned them for. More of the enemy ran off to escape. Some of them that were coming to the actual battle halted, mostly skidded, and ran back in the other direction, screaming and yelping out in fear.

Percy turned back to the tree skeletons and the king, who was standing there watching the other run off and disappear from sight as they scrapped over the hills. The homeland soldiers seemed stand there too, just as causally. Some where shifting uncomfortably and stepping away from the four, which Percy doesn't blame them for.

Hell, he should be scared. He never really had been around this much death and it kinda freaked him out.

After making sure they were really gone, Nico turned to the trio. He thanked them and bowed to them. The skeletons reflected the notion and marched back to the abyss, leaning over the edge and falling in without a care. Nico took his black and silver sword from the ground and the crack closed with more shaking before settling down after a few minutes.

His put sheathed his sword as the crowd around him cheered in celebration of the victory. People came out of hiding from their homes and shops and flooded the streets as they rushed to the front entrees in total praised. Nico soon addressed them by raising his arms, which they took as there asking for quietness.

Nico soon started talking in the native language. Percy couldn't keep up in the speech and soon just watched his emotionless face as he spoke. He found himself doing that a lot more then he probably should.

The speech was short and, once ended, the king raised his arms again with a smile as the crowd cheered again, calling and clapping in happiness as they ran off, back into the city. The soldiers followed him back into the castle, Bradshaw joining the King in the front as the two led them inside.

Percy stepped away from the window and closed it. He heard the guards marched away as he sat down on his bed. He took off his armor and placed them on the side of his bed. He capped Riptide and dropped it into his boot since he had no pockets. He exhaled slowly and laid back. His muscles felt incredibly swore and he was mentally scowling at himself for being so rusty at sword fighting. He couldn't even remember the last time he picked up a sword since the war. There was no need for it, but still.

The door opened to his chamber. He sat up with a start and found the dark king shutting the door before he started taking off his armor. His messy black hair pointed sharply outwards in every direction. His pout red lips and dark, almond shaped eyes popped out of his head in a favorable manner with his pale skin that looked even more milky with his all silky black clothing that was wet with sweat and sucked to his well built torso, out lining his muscles perfectly. Percy found his sorta astonishing looking.

It was quiet for a full minute in the room. Percy didn't know how to act. He and Nico were never close and the fact they spent this much time together was an extant and an improvement in there barely alive friendship. Percy didn't mind Nico, no, he actually really liked that guy. They had more in common then he could ever predict, but he still could easily tell that Nico has change dramatically over the years and especially after the last encounter they had. He still remembers the jumpy, happy ten-year-old boy who was crazy over a magic card game about the gods. Now, he wasn't even sure of that boy existed anymore, since he was so different now. He was darker, stronger... It flattered and concerned him all at once.

"They don't come around a lot." Nico stated as he untied his last arm gauntlets. "This is the third time, and the fourth will be the last."

"There been three attacks?" Percy asked with a raised brow.

"Yes," Nico bit his bottom lip. "They come around unexpectedly and there's always a shit ton of them."

Percy had to hold himself back from smiling. He won't mind seeing Nico like this more often: cursing and all sweaty. He flinched from the comment he made in his head, but didn't put it aside. He just nodded.

"They're a real pain in the ass." Nico stated again. "They're just a bunch of unrested souls who come in here causing ducking chaos for the hell of it."

Percy giggled a bit at him. He was starting to rant and was beginning to pace. He found it kinda cute, until he made him remember her in a flash before his eyes. He stopped smiling for a moment until he saw Nico's face again, scowling and biting his bottom lip. He didn't know why but he smiled again.

"Where do they come from?" The older demigod asked. "What are they?"

"They're spirits like everyone else but they don't belong here. From what I observed, not a lot of them are really from the same time frame. Some were pirates and some are Vikings in their pass lives. I know that leader of there's was a Mongol, that bastard."

"A Mongol?" Percy asked. He knew what they were but he didn't understand why a Mongol would be leader a crazy bunch of invaders.

"Yeah." Nico groaned. "I don't know how they escape the underworld. I figured they're ghost just running around in the mortal world but I don't know how they got to here if they are. Spirits are in the Underworld, but if we're in the Underworld, I don't know why I can get to my father to respond to any of my messages! And, I would think that he won't ignore me for this long on this serious matter! Unless his mad at me because for some fucking reason, which is very fucking likely! Because, you know,_ I was fucking born!"_

Percy was dying at this point. Nico was ranting and yelling and, being the Italian he was, throwing his arms around like crazy. He came over to him and shook his by the shoulders as he loud groaned. The older demigod fell back onto his bed and laughed.

"Okay," Percy calmed down. "Anyway, what are they again?"

"Just a bunch of hooligans who came from no where." Nico shook his head. Percy almost laughed again, finding it funny that they were in a situation that they needed to call the mystery machine for.

"Oh." He nodded as Nico stood in front if him. He didn't know why he found that so weird yet heart warming.

The Ghost King pushed some of his hair back that blocked his eyes. His hand never really touched his skin but he still shivered from the coldness he sensed from him. It froze his mind temporarily.

"Why didn't you let me fight?" Percy blurted out. "What are you talking about me not listening to you?"

Nico looked down to him, his hand still in his hair. His eyes got a distant look in them as he raised a corner of his mouth and poked it harshly into his cheek. "When I was first here and still clueless, I snuck out one night to look for an exist. I was out for a long time and ran into a couple of them. I was stupid and didn't have my sword on me. Every time they touched me, with there sword or with their hand, I was cut it bruised with some of their old and dark magic. It caused me to be in extreme pain and disabled me temporarily. It was like a snake but with a lot more blood. I was lucky enough to get back to the castle's grounds and I raised a skeleton Sparta on them. The thing wasn't even out of the ground all the way when they ran away. They never seen anything like it before, I guess, and they took it as dangerous. Anyway, I was in a medical treatment condition for about five days after that."

"Oh gods." Percy mumbled. That seemed so worrying to him, the idea of the King laying in a bed, having his wounds repaired.

"I'm okay now, through. That and I found out that they used some really old magic that are harmful to the living, especially demigods. I even got off easy, in a way, because my body is used to the old death magic, and I'm the son of Hades so it didn't fully effect me like it should." Nico explained.

"Do all of them have that effect?" Percy asked.

"No," Nico shook his head. "Not any of my people do. But the tyrants go out of there way to do it as an attack device. That's why I didn't want you out there. I didn't know how badly it would effect you and I didn't want to find out. I was going to tell you to get out and go back inside, but you took me as an enemy and fought me. I understand why, I shouldn't have came up behind you like that."

"It's okay." He felt Nico's hand fall out of his hair. "But still, I can handle myself with these guys. I've been through worse then a bunch of poisonous ghost."

"Good, but it's still not happening." Nico smirked at him. Percy didn't like that. The sea prince never really done well taking orders from someone above him. He didn't like being controlled; it was apart of his rebellious strait in him.

"Why not?" Percy challenged him.

"Percy, when was the last time you even thought about picking up your sword?"

"A long while..." He but his lip.

"Exactly." Nico smirked down at him.

"Then re-teach me." Percy scowled at the King.

The son of Hades raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

"Teach me." Percy said again. "I'm rusty and I need to get back into the game."

"Seriously?" He asked. Percy nodded. He was silent for a a moment, thinking slightly. Nico finally nodded and shrugged. "Okay, we can do that."

It was Percy's turn to raise a brow. "Really?"

"Yeah." He nodded again. "I, myself, might not be able to do it with you but there are plenty of great swordsmen here that would love to teach you, I'm sure. Is that okay?"

A part of Percy wanted to say that it wasn't, not really wanting a spirit working with him but only desiring Nico capable to do the job. It was the same part of him that made him feel lonely whenever the king was away at work, leaving him to walk around the castle or sit in his room all alone. He hasn't really talked to anyone else except him as he lived in the new world and he wasn't sure if he would truly be able to make friends here and truly belong. All he knew is that he wanted to be around Nico, since he was the only one he could really relate to in Oltre Malavita, or in anything and almost everything he been through anyway.

"It's okay. Thank you." He nodded as he finally stood. He didn't realize till then how tall Nico had grown to be till he came to the same eye level with him.

"No problem." Nico nodded. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"Not at the moment, no. But I'm sure I'll think of something else later on. Percy smiled at him with his joke.

Nico reflected the gesture. "I'm sure you will."

{...}

At night, preferably at midnight, Oltre Malavita was the one of the most beautiful sights Nico Di Angelo has even seen.

The large moon was in the perfect line of lighting, glowing ivory along with the stars in magical harmony. The dark blue background illuminated even more, making it appear black most of the time, acting as if it was the sky's secret beauty strait. The white light gleamed down in his land and made it sparkle like diamonds, down to all the blazes of grass in the fields and to all the grains of sand in the beach.

The King admired the view as he stand in front of the window of his personal chamber. He found himself feeling at peace by looking at it, knowing that everything was back to their normality despite of today's earlier circumstances with the tyrants.

He restrained himself from not getting to at the thought of the invaders. He planned to make the next attack they commit the last they ever even consider doing again. He was slowly developing a plan inside his head on how to get ridge of them, but it was still a working progress with many flaws. He had been dwelling over it for a while now, not entirely assure if it would be acceptable by his people if he put it into action. He ran it by Bradshaw and his legal observer today and found it at least considerable by them, but he was still great unsure of the results in many areas.

He stepped away from the view, and quietly wondered over to the door and exited the room. He left the door open as he turned to his left and began walking to the entree way of the north wing of the castle. He rolled stepped in a very slow paste as his mind worked over time.

He did this often, especially since the days were abnormally short. There had been times were he had gone days without sleeping all throughout the night. He would spend it wondering the halls and thinking, or even going outside onto the gardening grounds and getting some fresh air to clear his mind.

Of course, there wasn't much to think about. The kingdom was mainly at peace and not much ever went wrong. Yes, he still had a long list of things to do everyday but it was better then what he could possibly have if he really was a king during the time period that the villagers were actually alive in. He was thankful for that, at least.

He made sure to take step carefully so he would make no noise. He wore his long silky robe that dragged behind him as he walked and his long furry pants that were a bit big. He entered into the west wing as he turned to his right. This hall was defiantly the longest and had the best view of the beach. The sight of the lovely dark blue waves softly overlapping with the sand during the day and then crush onto it fiercely in the night with such power and grace. It was the water loving the earth, and it was an aesthetic sight.

The son of Hades stared at the veiw for the longest time before Turing over to the third door on the right and exhaled lightly.

Percy.

The boy was destined to always wonder back into his life. Nico found himself a fool for not seeing it sooner. He bursted into his life the first time; it was just fate's play to make him do it again. But this time was different. It was heartbreakingly different.

Nico was only been in Oltre Malavatia for a very short time, the same morning he announced fully healed from his encounter with the tyrants, when he was trolling the wooden bridge that was just recently repaired over the ocean. He recalls just finding out that the people referenced to it as an ocean due to the salt water it had. He assumed at the time it was just a lake but went along with it. He wasn't an expert on the conditions of large bodies of water anyway.

He was alone and watching as the sun raised up over the water into a beautiful blaze of orange, red, pink and purple. He found the sight very pretty and was caught off guard when he heard the sound of a poor soul weeping out in pain and sadness. He jumped and spun around for the source till the voice started to speak to him.

_"Nico..."_

Nico stopped. Everything stopped. His heart, his mind, the air and time...

It was him. It was undoubtably his voice and there was no way of turning away now. Nico stood there and listened for more, wondering if he was insane again, till he glanced downward. Before, the water was black, like someone dropped oil into it and let it spread. He knew it was an IM right away, and he didn't allow himself to breath when the image before him can up.

Percy Jackson's face came up, messy and blurry due to the water, but the boy could still make out his red rimmed eyes and and tear stained face. He realized he was mistaken then; the tears were still coming down.

_"It's me, Percy."_

Nico knew it was him. He could tell him from anything and everything.

"_I know we haven't talked in a long time, and I know we were never the best of friends but I need your help..."_

Normally, Nico would've gotten mad when someone asked for his help, especially when that someone was usually a God, but his anger had no chance to develop and subsist. He fell to his knees and held on to his every word-his every breath-basically ready to obey and do whatever he asked.

_"I need you..."_

Those where the words that effected him the most out of the whole speech. They made him melt and build, sink and flow, die and live, all at the same time.

They would forever cause this reaction to him. They still hummed in the distant part of his mind, screaming into the silence of his room at night.

They were his words of hope, simply because they gave that back to him, after he lost it so long ago.

_"I know that sound crazy but... But I want to know how you did it... How you vanished and how you dealt with..."_

"What?" He finally found his voice. "Deal with what?" Percy didn't respond. "Percy, please!"

Percy went on like he didn't hear him. Nico felt his heart twisted at that.

He recalls all the questions that formed and dismissed from his mind. Where's Annabeth? Where's Jason? Why the hell is he alone?!

_"...with your memories of that place..."_

Nico knew what he meant right away. He gasped slightly. He hadn't thought about that place for years... Percy had though. It was clear in his face and his broken eyes.

_"How can I be healed and how can I disappeared? Please, you have the answer, so please..."_

Nico felt his own tears build up as his chest swelled and his throat go dry. His hero, his Percy... Words couldn't not describe the way it hurt him to see him that way. He couldn't even fully comprehend on what was really going on. All he knew that his hero was in pain, ungodly pain, and he was sobbing to Nico to release him from it.

His heart took over his mind again, something he had been fighting off for years, and his love made his unable to do anything else but do exactly what Percy begged for him to do.

_"Just tell me and save me...Just please save me!"_

Nico let out a whimper as the son of the sea god began to cry again, placing his head down to let his tears. His hero was breaking down right in front of him, literally crumbling like a house of cards in the wind. He never seemed him like this and he never wanted to again.

The IM screen went black again. The picture of his hero went black and Nico almost cried out in dismay. He reached for him, but drew his hand back before, recalling that the image would vanish if he did.

He jumped up and wiped his face as he ran to the end of the bridge. He called out his demanding orders for five guards as he ran. Five did, including Bradshaw as they raced over to where he once was. He prayed to the gods the image was still there, and luckily it was.

He told the five to use the magic they all knew and used to bring him out of the IM. They looked at him like he was crazy at first, but he explained that a boy he knew was at the other end and he was in need of his help and had to be brought here immediately.

Bradshaw questioned him on the matter, probably questioning his sanity as well, but his heart and in control and he was doing some pretty mad actions to get Percy to him. He wasn't even sure they could use magic to get him, but he had to make them at lease try.

Percy's image flashed back on, and the guards might have still thought he was crazy, but he screamed at them to take action then, to do their task be few the boy waved the IM away. Bradshaw noticed him that they might have to knock him out if they ha to do this, which also could take some time to complete. Nico said that was fine, and ordered him to do it anyway while they had the chance.

The boy was planning on staying with them as they did it, but Doris had came up behind him and said it was time for them to get to the meeting of officials. Nico almost told him to fuck off, but Bradshaw pushed him off, saying that they could take care of it. He trusted his right hand man, who didn't fail him in the end.

They successfully brought Percy out and brought him to him at sword point into his throne. Nico didn't really know how to react when he saw him. He wasn't even sure if he could react, like his heart wouldn't actually give him the ability to do it.

Besides, Percy was the same as he saw him three years ago and all the time he knew him. Bronze tan skin with lean muscles and beautiful sea green eyes that were the most beautiful sight he had ever seen; the moon and the beach didn't even began to compare. Those lovely irises started at him like they seen a ghost, at the time, making Nico feel pathetic and stupid all over again. Then he smiled, and it all went away like it always did.

A squeaky sound came from Percy's door, followed by a knock on wood and a quiet whimper. Nico hesitated on moving towards the door, possibilities of what that was running through his head, all of them very awkward and odd. He started to shake as he reached for the door knob, hoping to whatever god that was listening at it wasn't what he was thinking. Unluckily, it was worse.

He gently pushed to the door to a small cracked opening and peeked inside. He saw Percy laying on his side, shaking crazily as he clutched the covers and sheets into his fists. He was breathing in short phrases that put out more air then take in. His legs were flinching at an unsteady paste as he violently wiggled around in the bed. His eyes were closed tightly, and his teeth bit down hard onto his bottom lip, like he was fighting back a scream. Tears ran down his face and he whimpered more and more.

Nico silently but hastily open the door and entered into the room. He didn't even have time to close the door before Percy let out a blood curling scream. Nico flinched himself before swirling around to find Percy now thrashing in between the sheets, crying full on, loudly and sadly. The boy was screaming for help as he moved his arms and his legs wildly, acting as if he was fighting something that was attacking him.

Nico ran over trying to scream his name over the boy's own yelling for saving. Nico even grabbed his arms and tried to push him down to wake him up but it didn't work. His hero screamed louder and louder and fought against the him with all his might; trying his best to trounced the him with all his might.

Nico soon found himself over the other boy, his knees on the bed, locations on either side of Percy waist, and pushing his arms downward, trying to cross them over his chest. Nico dove right in once he had the small chance and forced his own body on top of Percy's, eloping him into a hug. Nico kept his arms air tight around him as he struggled and wiggled, trying to get away. He was even able to lift the son of Hades up a bit, but he soon fell back as he finally died out his screaming and fighting.

Nico felt his body rock as Percy's racked with him finally letting out his deep sobs. Nico scooted himself up a bit and let Percy place his head into his shoulder as he cried. He shifted the two on their sides and held Percy with his arms tightly placed on his back. The sound of Percy's weeping was a sign of him breaking and Nico was trying to keep his together.

He held him for such a long time; he quietly whispered in his ear and softly petted his head. Percy cried to a soft breathing; Nico felt his chest lifted up and down against his.

"I went back there tonight..." Percy breathed into his ear. "I go there every night..."

Nico held him tighter. "You're here, with me. You're safe. Completely, utterly safe here. You're never going back there."

"I'm sorry." Percy tried to pull away. "I didn't mean to..."

"You're never going to go back there. I'll protect you, I promise." Nico went on. "I'll keep you safe, keep you here with me so you never have to be alone or scared again. You're with me and you are away from everything that is even slightly related to that place... And I will keep it that way for you. I promise..."

Percy held onto him, nodding against his chest, accepting the offer which Nico wasn't even sure was an acceptable offer. But he meant it. As long as Percy was with him, he would keep him safe, because he needed it. He _needed_ him. He needed him to save him.

"It's okay, Percy." Nico whispered. "It's all going to be okay."

Percy nodded again, bring out his face this time. Nico petted his hair again, trying not to talk to much. He knew how that didn't work. It was nothing but air in the form of words that could mean nothing. They hurt more then anything.

Their tightness lighten a bit. Nico didn't want to but his arms ached and he could tell that Percy was uncomfortable. He removed him arms and let him scoot away a bit. He began to sit up to leave but Percy kept his light tug on his arm. Nico looked down to him and found that those beautiful eyes needed him.

He laid back down, letting Percy lay his his head onto his chest, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

{...}

thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.

Sorry for this chapter being so long but I thought it would be nice to add Nico's p.o.v in.

Also, for funlive109 and fyphoniex's questions... Well you're just going to have to read to find out;)

hope you enjoyed it. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Jason Grace wanted to find his friend Percy more then anything else, but he also wanted to know where the hell Nico had been all these years.

He planned it perfectly in his head while he drove out to Mendocino, California. He had plenty of time to do so while the four of them rode a two day long trip across the country on the train. It was this morning when they reached California and payed for a rental car. Jason offered to drive for the mere fact that he needed something to do after sitting for that long time. None of the girls objected, and climbed into the van with out a complaint. Annabeth and Reyna took the two back seat and have been out cold since then. Hazel was up in the front with him. They were following the GPS to find the town, but once they reached there, Jason would follow Hazel's directions to the little convenience store and pray that Iris, the goddess of rainbows, would be there and be willing to help.

Hazel had told him about her first encounter with the goddess. The young girl described her as a nice woman with an almost hippie like personality. Jason wasn't sure if he should be happy or worried about that.

They drove in silence mostly. Hazel looked out for the shop that she told him was near the coast. Jason drove, keeping his eyes on the road and causally looking in the back seat to the two girls behind him. Annabeth's backpack sat in the middle seat between them and Jason was pretty sure that's the most space the had from each other since the whole quest started. The two were close, but Jason noticed that they acting more as "friends" then friends.

Of course, he would never voiced this, because that was suicidal at it's finest. He was seriously pissed-legged scary of what they could possibly do to him if he did. Not only would that be embarrassing to both prideful girls, but it be really uncalled for and mean. So, yeah, he would die easily for being a butt.

Jason didn't have a problem with it. The girls were happy together and it was easily seen. But still, he couldn't help but have a bitter side inside not liking the coupling at all. Not that he was jealous or anything, but Reyna had been through a lot, some of that pain being taken place from his part. He wanted the girl who was like a sister to him to be happy and he wasn't sure of Annabeth could really do that with her attachment to Percy.

Now, don't get him wrong. Percy and Annabeth are both good people who he loved very much. But what's going to happen when they get Percy back? Is everything just going to go back to normal, to the way it was before? Is Annabeth going to go back to her barely excusable relationship with Percy who is barely stable and push Reyna off as a substitute for whenever his away? All three of them deserved better then that in their lives.

It was very oblivious that Annabeth and Percy were failing, and that was okay. Not every couple makes it, but it's was now really bad between the two. Reyna and Frank had mention some of the things Annabeth had said to Percy the night he ran out to him, and it was blindingly clear then that they need to part away from each other for at least a while, but he didn't think that would happen.

He just wanted Annabeth's and Percy's lives and well being to be better. Like they used to be, before they fall...

Jason focused back onto the road, glancing back to find Reyna blinking her eyes open. She smiled at him and he smiled back. He still felt really bad for rejecting all those years ago. He loved Piper to death but he just felt mean for not feeling the same way and then disappearing on her and coming back with a new girlfriend and a bunch of Greek buddies who later on almost burnt down New Rome. Overall, Jason felt lucky to keep Reyna as a friend when he could have easily lost her.

He stopped at the red light and stared at the light to change as the GPS spoke out it's stupid "recalculating" statement. Jason rolled his eyes at the annoying machine as Annabeth, who was apparently awake, lean forward and push some buttons onto the screen. She was finished before the light changed, which irked Jason a bit, but he kept his peace.

The machine voiced it's constantly stated statement again but it changed into a British male accent. The girls giggled as Jason rolled his eyes and smiled at them.

"I'll never under girl's and there attraction to British accents." Jason said.

"I never did either." Hazel agreed with him. "I mean, the sound is nice, but once you think of the teeth, it loses all of it's magic."

"That's explains why you're into the Chinese baby man type." Reyna smirked and the whole carful laughed.

The girls giggled longer and harder then him. "I feel like I'm in the Aphrodite cabin."

Reyna looked at him funny through the review mirror. "Since when where you in the Aphrodite Cabin?"

The whole car erupted in uncontrollable snickers as Jason's face went as red as the light that still wasn't green.

"Oooh, I'm telling Chiron on you." Annabeth teased him. He laughed.

"I'm pretty sure no disturbing of the peace was happen in there." Reyna smirked yet again.

"Well..." Hazel awed as she looked back. The three caught her drift instantly. Reyna laughed her butt off and Annabeth gasped at her and joined Reyna. Jason felt himself blush even more. He wasn't sure he should comment or object to it since they were talking about the peace in his pants.

In truth, they were right. They just had the wrong location. Jason and his long termed girlfriend, Piper, have been officially lovers for two weeks on one interaction. It happened the last time he was at Camp Half Blood before the vanishing of Percy. They were cuddling on his bed when his hormone crazed mind started to wonder and really did caused the disturbing of peace in his pants and well... One thing led to another... And they ended up throwing a cover over his father's statue for some privacy.

He promised he wouldn't tell anyone, and he was planning to keep it that way. Besides, he would be committing suicidal if he did tell them. It would get back to his girlfriend and he would instantly be six feet under without a second thought.

A car behind them honked and Jason stepped on the gas. He glared at the green light and drove on as they quieted down.

Hazel sat up. "Jason, take a right at the next stop."

"You know the way? Can we turn the GPS off now?" Jason asked.

"No!" Annabeth protested. "You can't turn off Miguel!"

"Miguel?" Jason questioned. "You couldn't pick a better name?"

"That sounds more Spanish then British." Hazel said. "I would rather have William or Harry or Oliver."

"Oliver is a nice name." Reyna reassured.

"No, his name is Miguel!" Annabeth shot back.

"Oliver!"

"Miguel!"

"Oliver!"

"Miguel!"

"Oliver!"

"MIGUEL!"

"Okay! Fine!" Hazel held her hands up in defeat. "If you love him so much, why don't you just marry him?!"

"Both of you stop before I turn this car around!" Jason tried his best to sound like he meant it. He was secretly trying not to laugh at the stupid name fight.

"Actually you should." Reyna said. "We just passed a chapel. You're technically a priest. We can pull this off."

The girls laughed as Jason looked up and prayed to the Gods for help.

They came to the next stop and turned right and drove on. Jason took it slow for Hazel to see what's going on, making sure she could see what building they were looking for.

"There." She pointed to the up coming place. Jason wasn't really sure how he could miss it.

The store sat in a hill with bright lights flashing all around it, changing colors constantly. Finally, the lights formed a rainbow and shined so brightly, he almost went blind trying to find a place to park the car. The car stopped completely at the end of the hill. The four got out and slowly began to climb up to the white porch.

"Let's hope everything goes okay." Annabeth said.

"It's alright." Hazel reassured her. "Iris is really nice."

Jason led the group and was the one to push open the door for the group. He noticed the sign in the nearby window that set him off a bit.

_Rainbow Organic Foods &amp; Lifestyles._

He had no earthly idea what that meant but he hoped it was a good thing. He knew it sounded stupid to be worried over a rainbow goddess who is not known for doing anything evil, but the gods were unpredictable, and he learned early on to never under estaminet them.

They enter into a hippie themed shop. There was tie-dyed clothing on racks all over the place with stacks of fat free and nature filled snacks and teas. He heard the slight clinging of metal and looked up to find the ceiling covered in wind chimes.

"Are they closed?" Annabeth asked in a quiet tone.

Jason was looking over at the stand if fresh fruits when he felt someone come up behind him. "Do you guys need help?"

He swirled around to find a very surprising sigh. A young girl in a hiker uniform with tall boots and cargo pants smiled at him. Her t shirt had the motto printed on it, so he assumed she was an employee. She had hair as white as paper, tied back into a braid. Her eyes changed colors constantly. It reminded him of Piper's but in a more...bizarre way.

The girl looked pass him for a moment before her eyes settled onto something at caused her to gasped. She smiled. "Welcome back, Hazel Levesque!"

Hazel turned around and smiled at the girl like they were old school friends. "Fleecy!" She shook hands with the girl as Jason looked over to Annabeth and Reyna. They both shrugged there shoulders.

"Did you come back for our devil opus treats?" Fleecy asked.

"Of course!" Hazel said. "I've been dying for another one of your soy-milk, viaticum-riches cakes... But that's not the only reason me and my friends came here. We need to see Iris."

Fleecy signed slightly. "There's always a caught... Oh well, intrudes me to your friends."

Hazel followed the request. Jason smiled at Fleecy and she returned it to all of them, but the gesture looked forced when it came to Annabeth.

"Is she the same Annabeth as..." Fleecy asked Hazel.

"Yes, that's her." Hazel confirmed.

Fleecy smiled brightly and truly then. "It's awesome to finally meet you. I heard a lot about you."

"Thank you." Annabeth smiled back, not sure if that's what she was suppose to say.

"Well come on." She waved them over. "You said you needed to see Iris right?"

The happy girl, that Jason soon realized was a cloud nymph, floated into the back of the room. The four followed her, Jason between Hazel and Annabeth. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes to find the blonde somewhat thinking with a confusion and nervous expression. He wasn't sure what that whole ordeal was with Fleecy but he hoped it wasn't bad. They didn't need to upset anyone before they even get anywhere near the place Percy and Nico are hiding at.

They arrived to a old fashion counter with an old cashier. The woman behind the counter was tall, with brown hair and eyes and a titled head. She wore the same outfit as Fleecy, and was tapping the head of a Buddha bobble head until she caught sight of them. She beamed at the leader of the group, Hazel.

"Welcome back." She greeted the girl with a soft smile. "I'm always happy to see a familiar face come back. Do you want more tree tea?"

"That would be delightful." Hazel charmed. "But we also need to talk to you, lady Iris. Just few questions, nothing more."

Iris nodded and signaled Fleecy to fetch the snacks and tea. Hazel intruded them to the goddess as she did so.

"Jason Grace." She woman mused. "I've heard a lot about you. You too, Annabeth Chase. All of you, heroes of The Gods staying in my shop. How wonderful! Is it possible to get you guy's thumbs up on my snack cakes? I'm sure the customers would buy the heck out of them if you do!"

"Um, sure." Annabeth smiled. Fleecy was back and handing them all they needed as she sat down with the goddess. "Anyway, Lady Iris, have you recently received a IM request from Percy Jackson? Like, within this week."

Iris gave her a silly, shy smile. "Most of the time, I let Fleecy do the IMs. I just don't have the time and she's very good at it."

"Okay." Annabeth turned to the cloud nymph. "Did you?"

Fleecy bit the bottom of her lip. "Yes. The only reason I recalled it was because it's the first time he has tried to get to Nico Di Angelo."

"Really?" Jason asked.

"Really." She nodded. Then held up three fingers, pointing them to him, Hazel, and Reyna. "Now you three have had numerous attempts and I could never get them through, but Percy's try did because-"

"He's reachable?" Hazel answered for her.

"Yes."

"How?" Reyna asked. "How does that happen?"

Fleecy pursed her lips and glanced towards the goddess to explain. She sipped her tea. "You see, the messages work like the Gods. If the message is aimed for a part of the earth that I cannot reach with my own powers, then I nor Fleecy can not connect the two ends in that message. It's out of my realm."

"In the land beyond the gods." Hazel said. "Alaska?"

"Yes." Fleecy said.

"But I still don't understand." Reyna said. "If he still in the land beyond the Gods, how did Percy get through?"

"That's my doing." Fleecy raised a finger. "You see, when you guys were trying to get to him, he was in Alaska and there was no way I could get to him. I would always get cut off at the Canadian border. I just couldn't do it."

"But you knew he was in Alaska?" Jason asked. "For sure?"

"Pretty certain of so." Fleecy nodded.

Jason let that sink in. So the son of Hades went to Alaska... Why? He recalled Nico statement of leaving after the war. He didn't really believe that the time that he would do it, and so quickly at that, but he was proven wrong. He was actually planning to talk to him about it the day after the victory but he found out that Hazel couldn't find him. He dashed to the cabin and looked around the camp and had the same results as her. He was mad at him afterwards, and still is a bit, but he understood why, even though he didn't entirely agreed. No, he didn't agree with the boy and his decision at all.

"Is he still there?" Annabeth asked and Jason got a hint of meanness in her tone. He glanced over to her to find a bit of anger and envy in her eyes. He didn't exactly know how he felt about that.

"No." Iris answered. "I don't know when exactly when he moved, but he did and he went farer away from my power, but landed on a small plot that I could reach if I put a lot of energy into it. A lot more then a drachma worth."

"Where did he move to?" Jason asked, biting into his cake that tasted of flavorless cardboard.

"East." Fleecy replied. "He moved farther away from my limits but when I saw the message, I really tried to connect the two. I know that I didn't even get the vision, but I was had to push to get sound."

So maybe Percy had a conversation with him? Maybe Nico actually answered and talked back?

"We do know that Percy somehow got through." Annabeth noted. "Was it the same for Nico?"

Fleecy shrugged. "I really don't know. I assume not to be completely honest. Maybe he got vision instead of sound but I don't know."

"How do you know he got vision or not?" Jason asked. Annabeth sat up straighter, getting the disconnection there as well. Hazel and Reyna looked confused.

Fleecy looked guilty. "I normally don't like to be nosey on other people's messages but..."

"I got it." Iris stood up and walked out of the room. She returned with a bright pink bottle with a funny looking stick with a circle at that end.

"Bubbles?" Hazel asked with a raised brow.

"Watch." Iris dipped the stick into the clear liquid and blew into the hole. Slowly, she blew and formed a huge bubble. The bubble disconnect itself from the stick and flowed for a second before separating again into a dozen miniature ones.

"Get two of them. Quick!" The rainbow goddess ordered.

Annabeth was the one to gently palm two of them. The rest quickly popped afterwards, mocking the sound of a child with bubble wrap for a moment. Iris out away her bubble juice and placed her hands over the bubbles. The one in Annabeth's right turned a dark, sea blue and the one in her left turned black as night.

"I think you'll find the conversation one-sided..." Iris warmed them.

The four demigods leaned in, listening intensely to the sound that broke all their hearts. Jason sat in shock and sorrow as he listened to his friends sods for help and how Nico didn't respond at all. Annabeth sat there, her mouth ajar, holding the spheres as if they burnt her whole body. Reyna sat back in shock, eyes wide, as Hazel covered her mouth.

When the conversation ended, the bubbles popped with a small sound as all the demigods sat in surprise of what they just heard. Jason saw Annabeth look up and mouthed "My Gods..."

"We don't know if Nico replied to the message or not, but if he did, it didn't get onto the message so Percy couldn't hear it." Fleecy explained.

Jason knew that Nico heard it. There was no way in hell that he didn't. Jason knew Nico's secret, his hidden emotions towards the missing son of Poseidon, and knew that Nico would do whatever it took to get Percy and make him better since he just begged for him to do so. And that's exactly what he did.

It made sense, complete sense, but he didn't agree with this decision either.

"Okay." Annabeth breathed. "That wasn't expected."

"By anyone." Hazel added in.

"Lady Iris," Jason spoke up. "Is it possible to take things through IM through the clouds?"

"What do you mean?" Iris asked.

"If I was talking to someone through it, and they wanted to give me something and try to do it through it the mist message in front of us, can it be done?"

Hazel looked back from him and the goddess but stayed quieted.

"Yes, it is possible and it had been done, but it requires magic that, most if the time, doesn't work. It's tricky to pull off and it can go wrong very quickly. I don't like it, and ask others not to do it, but someone people do it anyway. Those jerks. That's why I started fining people on it." Iris pouted.

Jason felt his head beginning to thumped at a steady beat. He was seeing what happened and he wasn't sure if it was okay or not.

"So if Nico, just wondering, wanted to literally take Percy away and, again just wondering, did so?" Hazel asked in her most charming tone. Jason could tell she was on the edge of tears. Annabeth looked a little mad so she was probably pissed. And Reyna was with him on it all: they were scared out of there mind over all of this.

"Well one, he's owes me 75 drachmas." Iris stated. "That and if he did, Percy is probably with him... Hopefully..."

"Hopefully?" Reyna looked off guard by that. "Why Hopefully?"

"Well you see, the way I know that people did it, or at least tried to, is because the the item that their trading ends up in my pond. So when I just end up with this random whatever, I know what they're doing and I fine them both." Iris bit into her cake and made a yummy sound. "I love these things."

"I'm just assuming here that you don't have the sea god's son in your pond just hanging around, do you?" Reyna asked. Jason would have laughed if he tone wasn't so sad.

"Sorry." Fleecy shrugged. "Sometimes the object, or person in this case, just end up in a total different area where they just drop down in. It's rare but still."

"Oh Gods." Annabeth breathed again. "Percy could be anywhere then."

"No," Hazel stopped her. "Pluto, er Hades, or both, said he was with Nico. So wherever Nico is, his there with him."

"In Iceland!" Fleecy added in a happy tone.

All four of them turned to her with bewilderedness. "_What_?!" They asked in union.

"That's where your friends are." Fleecy said. "The message was connected at the most southern point of Iceland's coast. Near the Gullfoss Falls."

"Okay." Annabeth said after a moment of no sound. "I think we have all we need. Thanks you Lady Iris, Fleecy."

"Anytime." Iris offered a smile. "Please, come back whenever you like for anything."

They left shortly after that. Fleecy tossed Jason a little tied-dyed bag full of goodies before the existed the store and headed down hill to the car. They all got in and Miguel turned on with the car. He was the only one speaking the whole time as they drove onto the next stop.

They stopped at another gas station so Reyna and Annabeth could go and make an IM to Chiron really quick and buy a few maps so they could figure out there next stop. Jason was getting gas from the pump as Hazel sat inside the car.

Jason walked over to her window as it was down. She noticed his presence but didn't say anything.

"What are you thinking?" Jason asked her.

"What was Nico doing on Alaska all those years?" She asked him in a light tone, as if she was somewhere else far away. "And why?"

"I don't know." Jason said. "But it seems like he's alive and well and that's better then what we thought right after he left."

"I know." Hazel nodded. "I'm happy he's alive. I just want my brother back."

Jason didn't have a response to that. He stayed silent and checked the pump.

"I find it extremely weird." Hazel voiced her thought. Jason raised a brow at him. "He only answered to Percy. I understand why but still, it's odd, like something from a paranormal romance or something."

Jason forced a laugh from that. It only Hazel knew... Then he she find the whole thing manageable. Also applaudable.

"In all honesty Hazel," Jason forced a smile and joked. "I don't think your brother has turned into a ghost king version of Christian Grey."

"Oh Gods." She giggled. "That's so gay." She giggled even more.

Jason considered asking her what she thought on homosexuality, but decided against it. He didn't want to come off fishy. He wanted to know through, on how she felt on the matter. He knew Nico also left in fear of rejection, even though he would never ambit to anyone, including himself, and that mainly came from his sister. Both of them came from a time in the past that made the human trait sound sinister and scandalous, and it could easily get you killed, especially back in Nico's decade. He wasn't really sure on Hazel's take on the matter and he wanted to find out, just for Nico's sake but he could never find the right time or place to ask. That's and he wasn't sure how to do it and come off genuinely curious then intensively suspicious.

Reyna and Annabeth came out of the store then, carrying a bag of maps and goods. Annabeth walked slightly behind her, and not as close as she has been normally. That made Jason even more worried.

"Speaking of gay..." Hazel whispered.

Jason turned back to her. "You've notice too?"

"Yes." Hazel said. "Even though it just might have ended."

"It just might have." Jason went off to finding his job on the gas. He planned on talking to Hazel about it later. He was happy to know he wasn't alone and not reading too deeply into things.

He finally got into the car and drove off into the North. Annabeth told him the were headed for Canada, and from there, Iceland.

{...}

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I tried to add some humor in to lighten things up a bit. I'm sorry if I made the girls a little bit OOC, especially Reyna, but I'm planing on explaining why in some of the later chapters in her P. O. V.

I have to thank you all for your support. At the beginning, I was worried at this story being good at all but I already beat my review goal for it, and I'm not even halfway through the story yet! Yay!

Thanks again for reading. You are all awesome and I love you all. Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Percy sat at his desk in his bedroom, the light of the setting sun slowly decreasing behind him lit up the dark chamber. Today was a longer day; one of the few he has had since his been there.

That's one of the things that lifted into his mind as his Italian teacher wrote down sentences for him to translate. He started keeping his own record of days that go by in Oltre Malavita, and then applying it to the mortal world standards. He started it when he asked Nico how long he had been there, following the question with voicing his belief of only feeling like he been there for a month. Nico didn't look at him, dancing his eyes away to avoid contact.

Percy started the record and after about twenty-one days, he asked Nico if he was right. Nico said he was, and then ask if it felt like an other month since his first question. When Percy, shocked a bit, answered no, Nico dropped the bomb on his.

Percy had been here for almost ten years. Nico has been for about triple that.

Percy almost fell out his chair but the son of Hades caught him before he hit the ground. They were sitting on his bed at the time, late one night, and Nico said sorry to him over and over for it. Percy told him it was okay, it wasn't his fault, but it still surprised him.

Ten years... TEN YEARS?!

Wait, did that mean he was still twenty years old, or thirty?

Did that mean Nico was seventeen, or forty-seven? That made him older then Percy... Wow... Mind blown.

Wait... Isn't Nico really seventy something since he was born in the 1940's?... So technically he was over a hundred years old...

_Holy Hera! How did he go from being three years younger then me to over triple my age?! _Percy thought at the time but didn't say anything in case of sounding stupid.

But it was still mind blowing.

Then Nico dropped another bomb on him. He had assigned a tutor for him for Italian so he could learn the native language. Percy was actually okay with that one. He was pretty tried not knowing what anyone said to him.

Percy watched the teacher take another page and quickly continue writing, scribbling down the words in English. Percy was defiantly going to have homework.

Percy tapped his foot impatiently, his knee bouncing. He glanced out the window and scowled when he find nothing abnormal. He turned towards the door to find it not opening, no matter how long he stared at it. He slightly signed at that, trying to get some anxiousness off his body that pressed into him like iron.

His teacher, Florence, laid the papers down on his desk and told him to translate them. He picked up his old fashion ink pen and began to write. Due to the fact that he already knew Greek, it lessen the thinking and the understanding, which was really something for the boy, since he always had a problem with language and literacy in English. The plan was to learn Italian and the basics of it so they could enter into the native language head on, which was apparently called _Malavitese_.

Percy thought that name was completely weird. It sounded more like a rare breed of dogs that didn't exist anymore then a language. So he just settled on calling it by the same title of nationality as the people: _Malavitain_. That sounded a little better, not a lot, but a little.

His teacher was a maid that works in the castle that taught the Italian language in her earlier life. Florence wasn't like most of the people here who are from the era of Ancient Greece. She was from the era of World War l, an American born citizen with a grandmother who taught her the language, making her grow up in a bilingual home. Percy found that somewhat fascinating, knowing two languages and being able to speak them and having to all your life. It was somewhat funny as well. If she wanted to talk to grandma, she had to speak Italian, but if she wanted to talk to your little brother, she had to speak English. An argument or debate in that house must have been confusing and funny all at once.

The ghost tapped her long white fingernail onto the paper. She ordered him to work after Percy realized he was wondering off into his own mind. He did the first sentence before turning to the door again. He scowled when nothing happened.

He worked his way to the fourth question before checking again. It stayed the same and he was starting to grow frustrated. They said they would give him a notice before hand so he could possibly talk his way of getting out early, and he was starting to think that they forgot like last week.

Percy worked his way to question seven, writing the first three letters of the first word, when there was a knock on the door. Florence called out for them to come in. The door opened up to a small boy with dark hair and an innocent expression on his young face. Of course they would send little baby Dagger. He would have done it, too.

Florence watched as Dagger sweetly wondered towards Percy and handed him the fresh, dark red apple that he held behind his back. Percy thanked him as the baby boy turned on his heels and went out the room in the same fashion he entered in.

His teacher paid little mind to it. Percy acted as if he did the same, but he still looked down to the fruit in his palm and, using his fingers to move the round thing, saw five strikes stabbed into the skin.

Percy didn't like the fact he was given such a little notice. He didn't really have any time at all to do anything with Florence now, since she was a very stubborn woman. It would at least take him twenty minutes to get her to even think about letting him go early. He bit his lip down in stress, not noticing his teacher over his shoulder till seconds later.

He flinched in his chair, losing a beat in his heart. Florence paid no mind to this as she walked away from his desk and stood in front of it.

"Finish these before our next lesson." She ordered him.

"Yes ma'am." Percy nodded to her.

"You are free to go." Florence told him, her smile spreading across her face.

Percy's did the same. "Thank you ma'am." He called out his native farewell to her and handed her the apple that she took as he closed the door behind him, grabbing Riptide on his way out. He gently stepped out into the hall, looking down both sides, before dashing towards the entree and down the hallway to the right. He twisted and turned his body as he ran, trying to avoid the ghost servants who happen to be walking briskly pass him.

At the end of the hall, Percy approached a two parted way: one way going up stairs and the other going down. He had a sharp right turn to decaying staircase and, after what he decided was a hundred and one steps, entered into a large, loud room filled with dozens and dozen of ghost humming around with pots and pans, dashing about with clicking plates and utensils. Percy smiled, the smell of freshly made food reaching his nose and watering his mouth.

He slowed his paste to a walk. It wasn't exactly smart to run through a busy kitchen, especially when none of the staff was going to move for him. And, yes, he was speaking from experience on that part.

He walked slowly, letting the ghost with there hands full with things go on while he moves away. Some of them that were busy beating or rolling the dough he assumed was bread greeted him.

"Good day to you, Master Perseus." A male ghost called out to him.

"You too, Sir." He waved back him.

"Have a wonderful evening, _Belliessa Margaretta._" A woman giggled out to him.

He warily smiled back. "Thank you."

He still wasn't used to that title of his, even though some of the servants of the castles have been causally calling him that the whole time his been there.

Percy did know what it meant at first; it was before he started taking his lessons. He recently asked Nico what it was when he was on his room one night, and the son of Hades told him that it was the people's way of calling something or someone "darling". It's a rough translation to "Lovely Pearl". Nico explained, after seeing his expression from that, that the people here value him because he was alive, a characteristic that they find, not only rare, but extremely admirable. Percy then asked where the whole "Pearl" thing came from, and Nico said it's because he came from the sea, his own Father's realm, and they find him as beautiful and precious as a pearl.

Percy then ask him if the people called him anything like that. The younger (or older?) demigod answered no, that he was king and that was improper and, overall, weird. Percy knew he was lying and, after he turned his face away from him, he could still tell that his lips were pursed and he shared a look with Bradshaw who wore the same expression. That worried him a bit.

He walked towards his goal that laid at the back of the room. He noticed Dagger near by, standing on his toes, trying to steal a cookie from the fresh dozen. The female cook near by stood ready to strike his little hand with a wooden spoon. He assumed that it was Dagger's mother, since the two looked exactly alike.

Before the woman went in for the attack, Percy came over, picked up the boy, settled him onto his hip, and picked up two cookies. The woman didn't stop him as he put on in his and the boy's mouth and then jolly walked on, like it was a natural thing to happen.

Percy scattered on to the back door and exited the room, putting himself outside onto the grounds. He found it funny at first that the kitchen held the back door of the placa, kinda like how a normal farm house would. He pointed this out to Nico once and the death king just smiled at him and, like always, he smiled back.

Something some rare has now became a daily thing...

Most of days he was here, when the sun was shining and the ghost were walking and working, Percy was taking his lessons inside his room, only coming out to go down to the fighting arena to take his sword fighting lessons. Percy felt dead during the whole routine. He felt as if he was at school again, and he hated school. Mostly because he found the subjects hard and all the people there were jerks, but that wasn't the same case here. His teachers were nice and he was learning very well on his own.

It was just that he felt so alone. Yes, he had never been the popular kid with tons of jokes or with bunches of money or anything like that. He was the loner no one liked or cared for, and, yes, the situation has changed a bit from then, but he still felt alone.

He has made some friends other then the ghost king, most of them were like Dagger, children of the servants of the castle, but he didn't really see them most of the time because of his lessons or they're off with other things to do, like their chores that need to be done for their families. Percy understood they needed to do that and respected it, so he didn't really borther them when they were around. It wasn't like the moral world were he could call someone up and hangout with them. No, days like these where he knew they be there and they all planned on doing the same thing where he can really spend time with just had to be lucky; a Gods given talent that he didn't have.

He walked onto the grass, taking another bite of his cookie. He looked around for any sign of them, hoping that he didn't go ahead and leave him. He ran his hand through his hair and rubbed his face.

"I need to shave." Percy voiced his thought.

Dagger's little hand touched his hairy cheek. "My mommy doesn't shave her face."

"I would hope not." Percy commented after his random statement. He gave the rest of his cookie to the little boy who stuffed it into his face, making his chubby cheeks even chubbier.

Percy took another step forward. He felt like he was being watched, and his skin started to crawl.

Just then, a rock went flying out of the west. Percy leaned back to dodge it, and then leaned forward to dodge the second one. He stood straight, hand ready to uncap Riptide. The two thieves came out and Percy could have laughed at his twin buddies threw up a rock like a bouncy ball.

"Took you long enough." The blonde one, Ander, snickered.

"Are you done dancing or can we get to the meeting now?" The brown headed one, Gavin, joked.

Percy smiled, almost letting himself think of how much they reminded him of his old friends back at camp. He stopped smiling and ran with them.

They aimed for the other side of the castle, the north wing, and rounded the west to do so. Dagger bounced on his hip as he ran, making Percy have to move the boy over to his chest. They reached the spot where another boy waited for them, rope in hand.

"Where have you been?!" The oldest boy of the group yelled at them.

"Never mind to that. Come on." The two twelve year olds told him in union as they took the rope and climb upward.

Percy couldn't help but find it funny, once again, that he was the oldest out of the group that waited for him up on the ceiling. The oldest boy, who stood with him at that moment, was only fifteen, a whole five (or possibly fifteen) years younger. In Oltre Malavitan, a child became a legal adult at age seventeen, which meant they had to start the patriarchal tradition of marriage and then have children as they went to work somewhere in the community.

The boy, Gasper, raised a brow at him before climbing up. "Are you sure on bringing him?"

Percy shrugged. "He's cool. He'll be fine." Dagger was looking around instead of looking at him, not noticing that they were talking about him.

"Alright then." The teenager went up. Percy waited till he was near to the top before he set Dagger to his chest again and began to climb himself.

He soon joined them, the group of just three turning into a clan of ten. He had arrived onto the ceiling of the meeting room and was ready to enjoy the show

"Come on, they started a little bit ago. None of you missed anything really important." One boy said as the sea prince settled down, hiding the best he could manage without being seen.

For every month that goes by, the clergy men and the law officials and some certainly selected generals of the monarchy and the king gather together to hold a meeting to discuss any issues that might have came up during the month and some of the bigger picture problems that might have occurred. It was long and boring and, in Percy's view of it, stupid.

The meeting usually lasted a whole day, even lingering through the night and into the next morning. Percy didn't like that. Not one damn bit.

For all of his time in Oltre Malavita, since the night Nico woke him up and saved him from there, Percy had looked forward to every night and thank the Gods that they came so quickly.

Every night, after Percy bathed and changed clothing, he would lay down and wait for his savior to arrive. It was never the same time every night, but the fact that he came was all that mattered. Nico would came into his room, sometimes changed or not, and lay down with him. Percy would talk to him about anything till he fell asleep and, when he enter into his hell, Nico would wake him up and hold him. It was a heaven sent thing, to have someone hold him and tell him everything is okay. To pet his hair and be able to tell him what was happening in his dream and how scared he was and to have them actually understand.

Just the fact that Nico was able to wake him up was a miracle all on his own, and to calm him down was also another thing that seemed impossible once, and the fact that he was getter better... It was unexplainable of how good it felt.

Percy was starting to think of the war and the loss less, he was dreaming of the place less, and he was actually starting to laugh and smile without forced effect. He was becoming happier and it was because of those nights with the ghost king. And it scared him to death to even think about ever losing that.

It happened a long while ago, when he didn't come the whole night. Percy stayed up and waited for him, praying and hoping at he come. The sun rising was his answer and he cried against his effects of being strong. He took it as his sign of being too much for the only person he could be okay with. He was too broken for the only person who understood.

He soon smacked himself for being stupid, wiping his face dry. He was mad at himself for being an idiot, acting like a clingy high school girl when her boyfriend don't text her back. He was also mad at himself for being so damaged, for having to much baggage for anyone to take care of without going crazy or leaving.

He stood and got dressed. He had fighting lessons early that day and he thought some physical release would be best to clear his mind. Before his hand reached for the knob, Nico opened the door for him. For a good long second, they just stared at each other. Percy made sure he was glaring at him before he let himself enter. Nico embraced him into a tight hug, which was extremely rare for him, and apologized for his absence a million times.

Percy forgave him, hugging him back just as tightly. He was just happy to have his skin, his touch, his eyes, and his voice with him again. That he was still there for him.

Percy settled himself onto the two foot wide ground, placing himself in front of a square like dome made of glass and stone. He used the glass as a window, using it to peek into the wide, dark room where about three dozen men sat and talked. Most of them sat on one side of the room, while Nico sat on the other side, in his grand golden throne. Bradshaw sat beside him, as well as some others he didn't know about.

The Ghost King was in his usual togs of black clothing, except for a dark blue blouse, with two swords on both hips. Percy had to fight himself from starting to long. He would go straight to Nico's face and stay there for a while till his eye wondered down to the black sword that seemed to glow in the dark. Both sights set him off in opposite directions; one good and the other bad.

A tall man stood in between the two sides. He looked mean, yet fair with thick blonde hair and a scowling expression. He reminded Percy of a lawyer in a way, with him speaking out loud for everyone to heard and referencing everything back to some law and quoting it. Percy was thankful that they were speaking English, so he could understand everything. Most of the boys he was with found most of the subjects being discussed boring, not really caring about any of it till night fall, but Percy found every little bit interesting. He liked learning about the ways the monarchy worked and how everyone had a part in it for a guarantee of stability.

"Who's that guy talking?" Percy asked.

"That's Dion." Ander poked him. "He's the court of the king."

"Court?" Percy asked again.

"He's kinda like an observer of the king to make sure his not doing anything illegal or that could hurt the kingdom. He's like the nagging mother of the crown."

"I've never seen him before." Percy thought to himself mainly.

Just then, the sun finally settled and all the boys around him smiled as they leaned in more to hear. Percy and the others discover that the group always discuss the best things at night since they were near the end of their time span. That was when all the debates broke out and the swearing took place. It was the best.

Percy wrapped his arms around Dagger, who was in his lap. The boy held his head up high to make sure he could see what was happening.

The tall man held some papers in his hand and was looking them over before putting them down and looking dead on to the King. Percy bit his lip again when he looked at Nico. He looked good in the royal blue shirt he was wearing. It brought out his eyes, still not enough to bring out there true color, but just enough to make them dazzle out of his pale skin.

Percy admitted to himself, yet again, that Nico was very good looking. He knew that it was odd for a male, like himself, to think that but he couldn't help it. Besides, it was embedded into his mind so it was only for him to know and think about. As long as only he knew, he was fine.

He smacked himself for thinking about it again. He told himself that he would handle the ordeal later and he turned back to the seen before him.

Dion stood tall, blonde hair shining brightly, as he spoke to the king. "My King, it has been an honor to serve you." His voice was deeper then Percy expected. "You have made my job very easy, and that is a very rare saying for me to state."

Percy tapped his fingers on his knee impatiently. He wished all of this would be over soon. If they ended it earlier tonight, Percy still had time to get down and run to his room before Nico.

"But, I'm afraid I have came across a small...factor your courting partner's qualifications for being the second ruler of our land."

The room was very still and quiet as all eyes fell to Nico. The king sat straight in his throne as he raised a brow and expressed an uneasy face. He glanced to Bradshaw who shared the same expression.

"I'm courting someone?" Nico said the suppose statement in a questionable tone.

Dion pursed his lips and signed, like he was hoping to avoid talking to him like this. "Perseus Jackson, the son of Poseidon." He stated loudly. "That is who I mean, my lord."

The room was dead silent. No one breathed. Or, well, Percy certainly didn't.

The son of Poseidon felt his face go burning red as he felt the surrounding boys gawk at him in curiosity. All those eyes on him, waiting for him to explain when he couldn't even began to think about what he just heard. His heart raced like lighting and banged against his chest like a drum.

Percy shook as he glanced down to Nico who was putting on his best poker face, but his slightly rosy pink blush was still seen. He kept his eyes normal instead of them going wide and his mouth intact even though Percy could tell he was about to drop his jaw. He was sporting the look then for the son of Hades.

"I don't understand." Nico said, which was almost unreal to Percy because he wasn't sure how he kept his tone steady and form.

"I second that." Bradshaw spoke up. "I don't see any standard that Master Perseus does not meet."

Percy almost yelled at him from his hiding spot. Of course, the one moment that Percy actually needs him to hate and deny him, he stands up for him. Why did a part of him like that? He smacked himself again for being stupid.

"Perseus does not meet all the requirement for the position of Queen of Oltre Malavita. And this isn't slight, your Highness. He does not meet almost any of them." Dion stated again, ignoring Bradshaw.

Percy felt his face fall at that, along with his heart and stomach. Why? What was wrong with him? He might not be the picture perfect example of royalty but was he really that bad? Was he really beneath what Nico need?

"I didn't know you and the King were..." Gasper's voice trailed off. All his friends were still looking at him with surprised expressions.

"Neither did I." Percy stated as he kept his attendant to the meeting. He honestly wanted to know why. Not that he was interested or anything... He was just curious like everyone else.

"How so?" Bradshaw challenged him.

"Well..." Dion started off the answer in a tone that made it sound obvious. "Queen, by definition, is a female ruler. Perseus, from what I haw gather from appearance, is not female. There for, he can not even be a subjection into consideration for the title."

"Since when did the book state that it has to be a female to be Queen?" Bradshaw stood and faced Dion with a space of four feet between the two men. Percy felt as of a fist fight may break out. "It never bluntly states that it has to be a female."

Percy was first confused about what he meant about the whole 'it' and 'state' thing. He point Ander and asked. The boy, who was glued in like everyone else, pointed down the table near Dion. On it was a thick, brown covered book that made no title.

"The Book of Laws." Ander whispered quickly. "It had all the laws in it. For citizens and rulers."Percy nodded as his response.

"No, but it does state that the only other ruling status that is allowed in the land is the married wife of the King, which means the Queen. If Perseus is to ever marry the King, he would technically be another King, not a Queen. That, my general, is not allowed."

"Oh for the sake of Glorious Hades, most of the citizens here are Greek. These people are no strangers to two men being romantically together as a man and a woman would be. It's second nature to them. It's almost resentful to not only Perseus, but also to the King for being so closed minded."

Dion glared. "General, I am as Greek as you are and I do, truly, find it not as wrong as it might sound, but it is what the book states and I must make sure that the laws in the book are followed to the fullest. It is my job to not only the kingdom and it's people, but also to the King and to the Gods."

"But it's idiotic!" Bradshaw cried. "The King has every right to have who ever he finds fit to be at least eligible for the possibility of being his partner in both marriage and ruling!"

Nico sat in his throne behind them, looking as of he was writing his own obituary or autobiography about his possible death in that moment. Percy was doing the same thing. He was hoping he didn't die from embarrassment. That be a very sad way to go for him.

"Also!" Dion yelled over the crowd that had broken out into a roaring debate from Bradshaw's protest. "Even if Perseus was the correct gender, his doing as Queen are still questionable not ideal. His lack of meeting the standards for so are the reasons why."

Percy's head was spinning. He wasn't sure if he completely understand every, and he was afraid of asking anyone for the fact that they might take it the wrong way.

It wasn't as if he had a problem of two guys being together. No, he just really wasn't that way with Nico... Not saying that he wouldn't want to be like that with Nico, but he just saying he isn't, and he was pretty sure that Nico doesn't want to be like that with him. As far as Percy was concerned, Nico was straight... Maybe.

Dion went over to the book and flipped it open to a certain page before picking it up and bring it to his previous position."There are six standardized qualifications for any woman to meet for any chance of being Queen." He read out loud in English. "Number One: The Queen must be mortal."

"And he is." Bradshaw stated. "He is a demigod. Part mortal, part god. We have had demigod Queens on Oltre Malavita before that you have approved of Dion."

"Yes." Dion nodded. "That's true. But that isn't the only requirement. Number Two: The Queen must be able to adjust to the way of life and the culture of the people here in Oltre Malavita."

"And he has." Bradshaw crossed his arms.

"General, I haven't even outside of the castle." Dion challenged.

"So? If he is to be the second highest ruler then he should be adjusted to the life he is aiming for. Besides, he has been living here for nearly ten years. He has adjusted to the time, the routine of the castle, the way the people act. He even learning how to speak and read the language. He has developed familiarity to Oltre Malavita. He follows the culture here as he lives in it."

Percy was slightly surprised by that. He wondered how good of a lawyer Bradshaw would be in the mortal world. He was doing a pretty good job defending his case.

"Yes, maybe." Dion said. "But does he understand it. And does he truly accept it fully. Which Number Three requests. The Queen must be taught and know all the history if Oltre Malavita."

"We can do that." Bradshaw turned sideways to look at Nico. "We have already rearranged a few classes for the boy. We can add another. He already knows the start of our land and how it has been blessed by the death God. He can easily learn the rest after that. Our own King will teach him for assured measures."

That part was true. Percy was told about how the land became to be. Nico told him in his room one night, making it sound like it was a magical Greek myth like all the others that ended up being true. He said he never learned the Queen's name, and when he asked, he was told that it was forbidden to speak about since her name was like a curse upon the land. Percy found that a bit mean but once he thought over what she did, how she disgraced her kingdom by her own selfish wishes and killed her own son for it, he understood and agreed completely.

He felt a tiny bit happy that Nico was offered to teach him. He liked the idea of being around him more and having him as a teacher. The two thought entirely differently naturally, but the fact that Nico knew that and could probably explain it to him in a way he could get was great. He mainly just wanted to hang out with Nico more, but he planned to stick to the other idea since that would probably be safer and less weird on his account.

"Even if you do that..." Dion gave Bradshaw a look before reading again. "Number Four: The Queen must be capable of ruling the Kingdom if the King cannot do so for a short period of time for any reason. The Queen must be able to successes the duties in a satisfying manner, like leading the army into battle if necessary."

One of the men beside Nico stood. He was a round figure who wore armor of bronze and gold. "I do not know where you were during the third attack of the Tyrants, Dion, but I recall the young man running into the battle with no fear." His voice boomed over the room and voiced back off the walls that Percy could feel the vibration from his position outside "And his bravery matched his strength, as he fought like a master against our enemy."

Another man rose with the same uniform. "He has a fighting technique that I have never seen before. He is better then most of our best warrior. I would put him on the front line in a heartbeat if I had one."

The room broke out into chaos again as the men broke out into agreements again. Percy giggled at the ending line before glancing down to the King who was glaring around the room and rolling his eyes. The dark man titled his head upward and almost saw Percy, but the sea prince ducked before he could see him, hopefully.

Percy peeked his head back up to find Nico scolding at the room again, probably debating rather to set it on fire or not.

Dagger in his lap wiggled himself to facing the sea prince. The young boy looked up at him with big eyes. "I didn't know you were getting married, Percy."

"I'm not getting married." Percy said.

"Are you sure about that, Percy?" One boy joked.

"Are you sure the King knows that?" Another wiggled his eyebrows. The group laughed.

"Me and Nico aren't like that." Percy felt his face go hot again.

"It's okay, Percy. Many people would love to have the King's affections." Gasper poked at him. "Besides, I think you make a lovely queen."

"How is the king as a lover? Does he come to your chamber every night and make sweet, gentle love to you?"

"I hate you all." Percy covered his face as the boys died of laugher around him.

And the biggest part of that... He wouldn't really mind that. In fact, he kinda desired it.

"Number Five: The Queen must be approved by the Council before any engagement is made and settled." Dion read.

"They're still courting, no real engagement is even been considered or subjected-"

"And for the fact that he had been living here for nearly ten years, and still no where near qualified, should show that he is never going to be fully good enough for the title for not only his gender, but his lack of ability for being a ruler!"

"We have had dozen of queens that have taken much longer then ten year to be prepare for there position and-!"

"And yet, we never had a ruler that had ruled for three decades and still remains unmarried. We never had a King who has wasted so much time and energy on someone who is clearly not acceptable!" Dion fought back. Percy felt hurt and didn't like where any of this was going.

"My King." Dion walked up to the throne of an irritated Nico glaring down at him. "I mean no fences to Perseus in anyway, I have never dream of meaning harm to him in anyway. But if he is not suitable, then it would be wise to no longer beat the dead horse and move on to another, preferably more suitable, candidate for the title of Queen. We need only to return him to where he belongs and leave him from there. There is no shame in the making of a mistake."

Percy gasped silently as he began to shake in fear. They were going to take him back to the mortal world. He was leaving. No, no... _No!_

He looked at Nico who was looking around the room frantically. Everyone was shouting and arguing. The men beside the throne were the loudest as the called out statements to the heated debate that raged on between Dion and Bradshaw.

"Percy." Dagger, still on his lap, cupped his hairy cheek. "Are you okay?"

Percy breathed as calmly as he could, trying to not look like he was frighten. He couldn't go back. _For the sake of the Gods, he couldn't go back!_

"ENOUGH!"

Percy looked in to find Nico, now standing, glaring down at the now quiet men. His was slightly breathing hard, like he was holding out on his anger. His dark eyes landed on Dion and his glare harden.

"Let me make this perfectly clear to all of you." He growled in a dark tone. "Perseus Jackson is a honor guest of mine. He is not my...significant other. Also, I have not chosen a queen yet, because I am focused on my work and prefer to work with the problems I have to fix now then creating new ones I am never going to solve." The men laughed at that. "Furthermore, I have read the Book of Laws myself and know for a fact that there is not limited amount of time that the King has before it is demanded to wed. It is not even a requirement for a King to have a Queen. And as far as I'm considered, I am, at the time we're in, not interested in a wife and or a husband yet."

Percy ignored the sting in his chest and eyes. Then he blinked and mentally smacked himself. Why was he hurt? He had no right to be so. And why did he also feel a little ping of hate and anger during the whole thing? Yes, he found everything Dion said insulting and believed that he could be a very good Queen if he wanted too, but it's not like he actually wanted to... Right?

"Overall, Perseus is my honored guest, my very good friend. And he is welcome into my home for as long as he likes and finds fit. And, if by some epiphany or magic, I do wish for him as a ruling partner, I have every right to make him so with as much time as I need him to have so he can be fit for the title. There is no law against that of any kind." Nico's eyes finally left Dion's matching glare. Percy was thankful for Nico more then ever then.

"Let's call it a night gentlemen." Nico announced. "Until the next meeting men, good day to you all."

The men stirred to get up and began to leave the room. The boys around Percy began to do the same, going down the same rope the came up on.

"Wait. What's sixth rule?" Percy asked any of them. "He only said five."

"No time." Ander pushed him forward. "Come on, you'll be late for your date with the King."

"I seriously hate you all." Percy stated before sliding down the rope. Once his feet met the ground, he put Dagger on his hip and turned to face him.

"This little event never happen." Percy said softly. "Got it."

Dagger nodded his head. Percy took off from there and aimed for the same way he came. He dashed into the kitchen and handed Dagger off the his mother as he ran up the steps. He ran to his side of the castle and jumped into his room. He threw of his shirt and boots and landed on the bed, trying to fake sleep. He knew Nico would come straight to his room right after like he alway did, and he didn't want to get him any shady suspicion of where he has really been.

Percy laid with his back towards the door, so he could only hear when Nico came in. He kept end his eyes closed and his breathing even. He was actually kinda proud of how he was doing when he felt those dark eyes on him. For a few seconds, nothing was said.

"Get up Percy. I know you're up. I saw you."

"Damn it."

Percy lifted himself up on his elbow and opened his eyes to a smirking Nico. He soon turned away from him and walked over to look out the window that showed the still high up moon.

Percy sat up from his position. A distant part of his mind recalled about one of the boys joke. He suddenly had the desire to fall down onto his back with a lusty eyed Nico on top...

"I'm so sorry about all of that back there." Nico walked back over to him. "That was really... Wrongly view."

Percy snapped out of his little kinky daydream and nodded. "It's okay. I understand. I'm kinda defended and disagree but I'm alright."

Nico smiled. "You're not the only one."

"Apparently." Percy said. "I thought Bradshaw didn't like me."

Nico shrugged. "He can be hard to deal with sometimes but once he gets used to you, he's fine. He's gotten used to you and probably finds you very good for the job of a Queen. That and he hates change. He would absolutely loath it if I went and got another person from the mortal world and returned you."

"Good to know." Percy's tone was dead. He didn't feel exactly loved, but more tolerated then anything.

That and he was happy to know he wasn't going anywhere away from Nico. He hated the very thought of it. Hell, Nico not sitting on the bed next to him was making him nervous and lonely.

Oh God. I'm was so clingy. Percy thought to himself in disgust.

"What was with that one guy, Dion?" Percy asked. "How big was the stick that was up his ass?"

Nico chuckled. "Dion, my legal court, is suppose to be like that. He has to make sure everything is absolutely correct."

"Still, he was a bit harsh in there." Percy crossed his arms and pouted.

"Yeah," Nico nodded in agreement. "But that's his job."

Percy titled his head. "I still think it's a bit stupid through."

"What?"

"That I supposedly can't be Queen because I was born with a penis. Like the thing makes me unable to be a good ruler. I'm not saying that I need to, or even want to, be Queen or whatever but if I work hard and meet all the requirements, there is no reason I can't be. Yeah, I'll have trouble with the Council but nothing to bad." Percy realized then he was ranting and slightly bragging from Nico's stunned expression. "Overall, I should be a good Queen if I really try. And if I do, it should be enough to prove that I can do it at a respectable success. Besides, it's you and me working together. We're a good working pair together. I would be a good ruling partner for you."

Nico kept up his wide eyed look. "And as a marriage partner?"

Percy realized his mistake then. He felt his face go raging hot as he stammered a little, trying to find a way to explain his speech. Sure, deep down he didn't care one bit, but he wasn't sure if he could say the same for Nico. "Um... Let's change the subject."

"That's what I thought." Nico snickered as the sun roses from outside. The light in the room growing along with it. Nico picked up his white riding shirt he was wearing earlier and handed to the sea prince who pulled it over his torso. It was a bit right but nothing too bad. Especially with the fact that Nico's eyes lingered there before meeting his again. Percy fought back his smirk.

"How is your fighting lessons coming along?" Nico asked, his face lovely in the dawn light.

"Great. I'm good to beat your royal ass, but I always was." Percy let his smirk appear, feeling flirty.

Nico smiled back at him. "I highly doubt that."

"But it's true." Percy smiled more. "It's actually scientific."

Nico raised a brow at that. He raised his hand up to the sea prince's cheek. Percy leaned into his touch to fully cupped it, his warm skin cooling against his.

He also did this, and it was totally unfair. Whenever Percy was winning the flirty competition or a deep debate, Nico would touch him in the simplest way to make his brain malfunction and disable him to think of anymore come backs. The older demigod wasn't sure if he knew his effect or not. All he knew that it was the most bittersweet sensation he had ever had in his life.

Nico lightly ran his thumb under his eye. "You know, since you're so awfully cute, I guess I can show you some mercy when we actually do fight."

Percy laughs. "Please, your royal ass is going to be even cuter when I beat it tomorrow."

Nico's dark eyes flared up with a certain light. He titled his head to the left in a slight angle. Percy knew he had him then. "I accepted your challenge, and maybe you could be a proper marriage partner for me."

The ghost king extended his finger out to that spot behind Percy's ear and forcefully applied pressure. Percy bit down his bottom lip in reaction.

"As long as you don't fuck as hard as you fight." Nico added quickly. "Because that would be extremely disappointing."

He removed his hand from Percy's face. He didn't want that, but he kept smiling. "I'm sure it's still enough to satisfy you, no matter what."

"We'll see about that tomorrow." He winked at Percy and exited the room with a sly, sexy smirk.

Once he was gone, Percy was finally slapped by reality and realized a few things. One of them was that he was seriously starting to see Nico as more then a friend. Also, Nico was, just maybe, doing the same thing with him. But most importantly...

Nico's royal ass was actually really cute.

{...}

This chapter is longest one so far, which is pretty good, considering that there was a lot of Percico stuff going on in it.

Also, those chapters that will have smut in them that I warn you all about it are coming up soon. Not the next chapter soon but soon. I'll give a big warning in the chapter before so you guys will know a head of time. I will be changing the story's rating to M then so if you're not following the story (which you should do) just watch out for it.

Also, sorry if I had Bradshaw too big of a part into the chapter. I'm afraid his going to have a large part in the next chapter as well. I normally don't like story where the OC is the center piece of the story, or a very large part of it and I'm trying to avoid that with Bradshaw. But I hope you still enjoyed it.

Thank you all again for reading, please review. Next chapter is going to be fun to write and I hope you all have fun reading it. I promise it's going to be good.


	10. Chapter 10

Nico didn't sleep that night, only laying peacefully in the bed with Percy snuggled up against him. He gently messed with the boy's dark hair, carefully counting each strand. Percy fell asleep on him pretty early, not talking as near as much as he normally did.

He recalled all the times of how Percy would tell him everything about his life, never taking a breath in between each story. Nico loved hearing them. Percy worded them so nicely and the way he expressed his emotions through his tone was delightful. He felt like a kid in the present of a storyteller.

Of course, sometimes he doesn't like the story. Or the tone. Or anything.

At first in there late night gatherings, Nico just came over after he bathed and changed clothing and laid down to an already asleep Percy, making sure to get there before the nightmares came about. It wasn't really nice or romantic, more awkward then anything because he felt like he was invading Percy's privacy and that was the last thing he wanted to do. It was the tenth night or so when Nico came in late and caught Percy still up, wide awake, and playing with the rope ends of his bed's curtain.

He doesn't know what possessed them then to talk about their past, but it happened. He only recalled sitting down at the desk in the big, cushion chair before Percy was stammering and holding back tears. Nico wasn't really sure how the dreadful conversation came up but it did, and he was actually glad it did. It helped him understand the matter more in a wider sense.

Percy told him only a bit of his life after the war that night, not really volunteering much. Nico didn't push him, knowing that wouldn't solve anything but only make it worse for him. Besides, what he learned was shocking enough. Out of all the heroes Nico had met, Percy topped them all without a second thought of doubt. To think of him losing his mind was enough to make Nico want to rethink everything.

It was a process from there. Percy told his tale a bit every other night. Nico didn't push it, just taking only what Percy gave him and keeping his questioning to a limit. It was sometimes aching and worrying to the bone, but Nico kept it up for his hero. Besides, Percy thought about another place more then his sad life back in New Rome.

That was the second half of the process; the heart wrenching part of the process. After the sharing of information of his life and then some happier subjects afterwards for se positive effect, Percy would get tired and lay down to sleep, Nico not to far behind him. Nico didn't really like this part, because all it was is tidiest waiting for a nightmare to come to life.

Percy would first start off with slight movement with didn't seem like much. He would turn onto his side from his back, or even moving his head deeper into the pillow. Nico, being the lightest sleeper ever, wakes up instantly from the movements, rather he finds it a sign of upcoming breaking or not. Usually, he fights to keep his eyes open for a few minutes to see if it becomes more frequent, and it normally does. Percy then would making small noises that were almost completely silent. Nico is wide awake by this time, knowing for a fact of what was about to come. He would mentally and emotionally repair himself as the noises became whimpers with more movements. Then the movements became flinches of quick, hard kicks and dodges, and the whimpers would turn into screams.

Nico discovered, from a early mistake, that if he try to comfort the older demigod before he reaches the finally stage that he would only make it worse for Percy and himself. Physical contact too earlier scared him and it made the terror even more real and caused the frightful reaction to be even worse then it already was.

When Percy was finally to his peek, Nico would hover over him and closely wrap his arms around him in a slow, comforting paste, while trying not to get hit by the demigod under him. He then dived right in at the last second and hold the boy tightly to his chest. Percy would react by reflecting the notion. It would take a moment before his slowly weakling fighting back die down into acceptation filled with deep breathing and crying on the Ghost King's shoulder. It was a calming notion for both the demigods in the tense moment, but that didn't always fix everything.

One time, Percy did so and rolled over him and flung him off the bed. Nico landed on the floor with a loud thump, after hitting him arm on the near by nightstand and scattering whatever was on across the floor. Nico wasn't hurt, just fucking shocked to hell. He did not see that coming. He sat up with a start from the floor to lock eyes with a fully awaken Percy. The son of Poseidon realized what had happened and it showed through his eyes. Nico got over his shock quickly as he jumped up and tackled Percy before he would completely shut down. The sea prince struggled the whole time until Nico practically body slammed him down to stop. Percy said sorry a million times, even pouring out that he shouldn't stay if he was going to hurt Nico, that he was a walking, breathing disaster. Nico held him that night and said he was wrong and explained why to the point he memorized the speech. They didn't separate till dawn, when Percy was passed out from exhaustion and Nico snuck out the room to get to his chamber to start the day. He ordered a guard to keep his distance but watch Percy for the day, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid or leave the castle without permission.

But against the odd inferences, and despite the terrors of there own hell, both the boys found comfort within each other. Percy eventually spilled the whole story of his life in the aftermath, telling him all about his nightmares and the psychologists and how he became a burden to everyone around him. Nico found that part hard to believe. Then again, he found all of it unreal to the max.

But what shocked him the most out of it all was how Percy wouldn't even say Annabeth's name. He would only say 'her' with a tone that was mixed with many emotions: sadness, resentment, anger, guilt, longing, hurt. He wasn't sure how he should feel on it.

Percy felt that night with no nightmare, which was good. It was an improvement; two nights in a row.

Nico kept a mental record of Percy sleeping habits so he could see his progress, mainly because he cared and wanted to make sure he was feeling better as he was with him in his kingdom and new home, and it made him uncontrollably happy to find that his lovely pearl was. He was having less nightmares and starting to develop his life from the wars and the Gods, like Nico did himself. Percy, unlike him, has someone to help him get through it, actually two, but it was with him that he improved with. That made him feel a little bit too happy.

Nico laid with him face to face; he loved the view of Percy's skin with the morning dawn light on it. The older demigod laid about two inches away from him, using Nico's bent arm as a pillow. His now long hair covered his eyes and almost fell to the base of his nose. He looked peaceful when he sleeps; it was hard to look away from the sight.

He lingered a few moments longer then normal, before slightly moving away and standing to the side of the bed. A dull ting of guilt poked him from inside his stomach; he never felt okay with leaving Percy to wake up alone.

He removed himself from the room, opening and closing the door quietly and tip toeing down the hall to his chamber. No maids or servants were up and roaming yet, so he was luckily unseen. It wasn't like he was ashamed of coming out of Percy's room, but after yesterday, he was starting to wonder about his image in Oltre Malavita.

He came into his room that was about twice the size of everything in Percy's room, with accented details in every aspect of the room. He carefully took light steps down the steps he had decaying from the door and rolled his feet over the large wardrobe. He stripped and clothed into his usual black attire, but unhooked one of his swords from his golden belt that was unhinged from his linear leg protectors. He realized then that it was the first time he actually departed himself from the sword since his first day in his land. He left it on his bed, still in the stealth.

He made his way down to the lower level, through the grounds and down onto the decaying hill that the fighting arena hid behind. Percy didn't have lessons today, so the place would be deserved, which Nico prefer. He never liked fighting in front of others; he felt like he was being judged even more then he normally was.

He gripped his long timed chosen weapon and started to work on his right arm swings onto the wooden dummy with multiple arms that he had to dodge while swinging so he wouldn't get hit. He recalls one of the best soldiers coming up to him to inform him that he was dreadfully sorry but Percy had destroyed three dummies during the lesson that day. He smiled to himself at the thought, recalling how he laughed at the message and how the soldier was confused from his reaction. Nico had no moment of doubt that Percy wouldn't regain his skill in sword fighting very quickly and excel at it even more.

Nico ducked down at the last second before getting slapped across the face with a small wooden arm. He switched hands and knocked it off from it place on the dummies body. Nico went on, not giving the now departed stick a second thought. He knew he didn't hold a candle to the sea prince's fighting technique, but he was still respectable in his own right, or he liked to think so.

He recalls how, after the last attack from the tyrants, all the generals came up to his later that day and demanded to know how the boy grew to be such a glorious warrior, asking of how they could became that themselves and for their soldiers. They caught him late that evening before he was about to call it a day and go off to Percy's chamber for the night, and practically begged him for the information. Nico wasn't shocked. Percy was a damn good fighter, and also naive to them in that category as well. He was informed by the men that they never seen fighting tactics like that before and it left them all in total awe and bewilderment. Nico found that odd, then he realized that the generals never really seen him fight. Then he realized, as well, that they never seen the combined fighting strategies of both Greek and Roman that Percy had adapted.

Then the men asked him the question that Nico knew they would ask and he knew that they wouldn't like his reasoning for the answer. They proposed him the suggestion of putting the powerful son of Poseidon on the front line, maybe even make him a colonel and giving him a section of his own men. They spoke of the idea with such pride and energy, it was the cause for him to not reject from the plan right away like he wished to, and tell them that he would have to consider and think about it all the way through.

The truth is that the thought was piss legged scary. If he lost Percy... the mere thought of it was enough to make him lose his fucking mind. His long lived love for the older demigod caused that to him, making him hate himself even more. He despited nothing more, in that world and the other, then Percy getting hurt in the slightest way possible. It made his body ache and shiver all at once, his heart shatter and explode at the same time. It was so horrible to him that it just might end him. It almost did on more then one occasions. The first time being when he dipped into the River of Styx, and how he almost vanished into water right before him. The second was when he disappeared for six months with a trace, making Nico constantly worry about his well being and if he was even alive. The third was when he fell down to Tartarus, and that one was the worse one of all.

Nico discovered where the Doors of Death about the same time as Percy, Hazel, and Frank left for their quest towards Alaska. He knew that if it had to come to it, Percy would have thrown himself in for the sake of his friends. He ended up doing it anyway, which meant that Nico failed to save him. That was why he went there himself. Why he entered into hell itself; just so his hero could be safe and happy as he suffered.

He hated himself even more for the fact that he failed to do that too. He ended up getting kidnapped by the twin giants and trapped in a huge glass jar. That only lead the group to drive on to save him where he caused hell to crack open and...

His hero fell in. He was the cause for making his beautiful, brave hero to be so broken now...

He still had nightmares of Percy, barely hovering over the edge, holding on for dear life, as his eyes locked into him. He screamed at him, making him promise...

Nico felt his pulse race with self loathing and his own vision go slightly blurry. It wasn't till the dummy and the next two were done and gone when he realized him was extremely tired and anger. His arm throbbed from the swinging and his breathing was hallow. It hurt to inhale. Something both Nico and Percy knew too well.

He stopped for a moment to breath, his mind wondering back to his lovely pearl after a few seconds. He instantly calmed down, pushing the guilt back down deep inside his soul. He didn't want to think about it when it was a new day. Nico learnt one from his life as a demigod: that you can't live on the past. The past is meant to be remembered and learned, not to be relived.

Just then, his whole body tensed as he heard footsteps quietly approach him from behind. He found himself smiling slightly as he figured it was Percy sneaking up on him to begin their little sword battle.

Nico waited till the last second to defend himself. He spun around, sword drawn, and spotted to where the tip was at his neck. Sadly, it wasn't Percy. It was a shocked, wide eyed Bradshaw.

"Am I in trouble, my King?" He asked.

"Oh Gods..." Nico mumbled as he removed his sword. "Sorry about that."

Bradshaw nodded. He returned to his strict poker face. Nico checked his sword to avoid eye contact. He wasn't sure on what to do after almost accidentally beheading someone.

"So... How's your wife?"

"She's good."

"And your son?"

"He is good, too."

"That's good." Nico made a mental note to get better at shifting subjects when it came to conversations.

The King slowly turned and stabbed his sword into the wood for a final mark.

"How's the 'Honored Guest'?" Bradshaw asked as Nico's back was towards him. Nico, not meaning too, smiled at the title for his hero. He honestly expected him up use the popular nickname. He still had no idea how that nickname -Belliessa Margarett-came about but he couldn't agree more for it being perfect for Percy. The citizens respected and value him for being alive and a demigod child of Poseidon, but they truly adored the mere thought of him with his kindness and beauty, like Nico did himself.

"He's good." Nico answered, trying to hide his flushed cheeks.

"Even after yesterday?" Bradshaw asked. "Did you tell him about it?"

"Or course." Nico lied.

"Or did he get everything from his view from the ceiling?" Bradshaw titled his head in a bored tone.

"You saw him?"

"You didn't?"

Nico bit his bottom lip. He didn't respond.

"I would image him very... Defensive about the protest of his title." Bradshaw kicked the ground, his head still level.

Nico knew what he meant by that. They have had this discussion before. "He didn't think anything of it."

"Really now?" The general raised a brow.

Nico bit his lip again. Bradshaw seemed to look through his little mask of his sexuality within the first first Percy was here. He still hasn't said anything about it in a blunt fashion. He has dropped some hints that Nico picked up, but nothing too bad. As far as he was concerned, Bradshaw didn't mind, which he was thankful for.

"No."Nico looked at him for the first time. "He isn't." He lied.

Bradshaw nodded as Nico lean against his stiff holding post of a sword handle.

"My Lord," Bradshaw addressed him. "I apologizes for my behavior yesterday."

"It's alright." Nico said. "Dion was just doing his job and you were doing a good thing by defending Percy. He told me that he was shocked that you were doing so. He said that he thought you hated him."

"I don't hate him." Bradshaw shrugged. "I just thought Dion was acting like the sack of wine he is, and that's not fair to him."

"I agree, but there isn't much I can do about that, which is a first."

"Yes it is." Bradshaw agreed as Nico pulled his sword out and sheathed it. "So Master Perseus doesn't mind about his instantly rejection to the throne?"

Nico knew his was edging towards the truth, not believing his lie.

"He thought is was somewhat over dramatic but he doesn't mind too much. It doesn't really effect him." Nico somewhat told the truth. If it really effected Percy, he would have put up more of a fight yesterday, but Nico could see through his fake smile and tell from his eyes that he really didn't like it. He wasn't sure why though.

"I would guess that is good." Bradshaw crossed his arm and shrugged again. "If he did though, we could at lease try to attempt to persuade him into it."

"That would have never happen with Dion." Nico stated.

"But still. If it did, he would be our first male queen, even if he is not properly able to be titled that. The two of you would be Oltre Malavita first homosexual couple in power of the throne. Along with that, you would be our first honest gay king, and Perseus would be one of the few Queens that peasants actually like and didn't fear of."

Nico expected about the gay king thing. There have been, he assumed, gay kings before him, but they probably still wedded to a woman and came off straight. But he had no desire in doing that, mainly because of the way he would have to get the girl here.

The sixth rule for a Queen is that they must have come from the mortal world and the King had to came and get her out and bring her into Oltre Malavita. It was a honorable ritual the king had to do to honor his father, Hades. It was a reacted seen of how the God of the Underworld got his own wife, Persephone. It was suppose to be a way of asking for permission of the marriage and if Hades didn't kill her before the wedding, he approved. Nico was slightly afraid of that has happened before. He was even more scared now if Percy did marry him, because he knew for a fact that they wouldn't make it, considering that the sea prince has pissed off every God at least once, his father especially.

What Nico didn't know was the ordeal with the drift between the citizens and the Queen. He knew that, in the past, Oltre Malavita was became what it was today because of a bitter Queen that decided her child with The Lord of the Sky was more fitted then his half brother. It ended badly and ever since, the kingdom has praised the Son of Hades and didn't even mention the Queen's name, acting as if it was a curse for the land like it was back then.

"What do you mean by Percy being liked as Queen?" Nico raised a brow, curious.

Bradshaw kicked the broken spike on the ground. "Queens in Oltre Malavita have been known for being a terrible cases. Only a few have been good and cared for the land, but only a few. Most become resentful to the people here, not understanding the dead and committing attacks or insults to them. They became prejudice to them because they find our way of life wrong or by the mere fact they didn't want to be there. It has led some to try to destroy the kingdom. Some have conducted rebellions and have tried to burn our home down. They clearly failed, and it cause most of them their lives. But others, the smarter and sneakier ones, have tried to take it all for themselves and the only way to do that is to take the highest power of the land, which is the title of king."

"Oh shit." Nico commented.

"Yes, shit indeed, My Lord. They have tried to kill the king. Most of them have failed and paid for it with their lives. They forget that only a son of Hades can rule, so their plan of domination ends when the land and the people return back into their unrestful slumber. Of course, they were punished in death for it, but it still ended badly for both the king and the peasants."

Nico wasn't sure how he felt about that. He gave Bradshaw his best stone hard look.

"Percy would never do that."

"That's what all the others said too."

Nico glared at him. He knew his right hand man was joking by the way he was trying not to smile, but he still didn't find it funny... That much.

"No harm, no meaning." Bradshaw held up his hand in defense. "I know Perseus loves the kingdom, and the kingdom loves him. That's very rare, for a Queen to be liked. Most of the citizens don't want a Queen just because they fear what they will do. Most look back to the first Queen and recall about how she basically ruin Oltre Malavita. They fear of what she will do with her power, just like how our first thought. He never wedded because of that. It only increased his mother's resentment for him, but he was always a struck man of his beliefs. He refused and dismissed every one of his potential brides and some of the peasants believe that that's what needs to happen. That there needs to be any Queen, which is why some have refused marriage and stayed unwedded during their rule."

Nico understood that. If having a ruling wife can cause a rebellion in the land, then it be wise to avoid the problem all together. Still, he was now worried for Percy's and his own sake. He didn't want to put Percy in a situation like that. He brought him here so he could be healed and safe. He couldn't let that not happen.

He wanted to say something but he saw a small darkness in his eyes, making his emotionless face soften a bit. He recalled when Bradshaw first told him the story of how the land came to be. He mentioned of how he knew the first king in his life. His own father was the head general of the crown, meaning that Bradshaw had know the first king all his life, even though the prince was five years older. Bradshaw considered him a good friend, and was the one to hold the flame to burn his body at his funeral.

"Dion is one of those people." Bradshaw added in. The darkness vanished from his eyes and traveled down into his tone. "He fights with most kings with the capability of their wives. Most of the time it's for the better, it has save own land many times, but sometimes he become biased and it causes some resentment between the crown and the Council."

Nico face palmed himself for not guessing that earlier. No wonder Dion was after Percy's case so bad. "So, even if Percy was a female, Dion would still find a way to deny him."

"Yes." Bradshaw looked at him again. "He's just that way."

Nico began to feel nervous, panicky even. "If Percy does become Queen, what will he do to him?"

"Nothing. He can't do anything to remove Perseus from the throne unless Perseus commits a crime or such. His followers might through."

"Who are his followers?" Nico asked. He was preparing for a fight if Percy does take the throne. It be best to know the enemies before that.

"Those who agree with his dismiss of the Queen title. Only a few agree through. Some of those who disagree with the whole two men married might join them though."

"What?" Nico felt his nerves caught on fire.

"Some people here disagree with homosexual activity." Bradshaw said it like it was nothing. Like it wasn't a life threatening problem to Percy and him.

"Enough to cause a rebellion?" Nico asked, trying to keep his tone solid.

"No." Bradshaw smirked.

"Damn you." Nico wanted to hit the he out of him. The bastard had the nerve to laugh.

Nico pursed his lips as a though arrived into his mind. It dissolved his on edge fear and panic attack and let himself breath.

"It doesn't matter, anyway." He stated, making his tone light and full. "Percy is only attractive to women, and has no interest in being Queen. Also, he is only my friend. My honored guest, and that's all I consider him to be."

"If that is truth," Bradshaw stopped laughing. "Then why are we having this conversation in the first place?"

Nico glared at him as his cheeks flamed. The ghost only smirked at him for a few seconds as he turned on his heels and made his way out. Before he exited, he turned back to him. Nico only glared harder.

"If it makes any difference, my king. It makes no difference to me. I will still respect Perseus." Then he left.

Nico stopped glaring, feeling his own face soften. He wasn't sure about Bradshaw's statement being true, but he always doubted people's word on anything. Especially when it came to those kinds of topics.

One of the reasons of why he ran away from Camp, and basically everything, is because he was ungodly afraid of rejection. It was a fear he had all his life, and it's the biggest one. He knew it would change everything anyone even bother to think kindly of him, and he was afraid it won't be for the better. He was more afraid of finding out that it no effect to anyone at all.

He took out his sword again and started off at another wooden dummy taken out all his left over anger on it. It was short lived, if it even lived at all. He was about to make his finally swing, bringing the blade above his head. Before he could blink, his wide swing was cut short and stopped abruptly. His arm was twisted around, making his whole body follow and head straight into a battle with Percy Jackson.

There was no time to stop, they went straight into with Nico working to block his enemy's attacks. The sea prince might have the element of surprise on his side but that wasn't going to last long. Nico soon swung down at Percy's shoe and flipped him from the base of it. The sea prince recovered back onto his feet easily, but it gave Nico the advance onto his attacks, sending Percy back and blocking like he was before. The swords clanged constantly, the sound filling up the room. Nico soon found himself panting within the first few minutes of fighting. Percy hadn't even broken a sweat yet.

The older demigod even had the jokingly nerve to jump up into the three foot tall dummies and try to pricked the son of Hades from above. Nico felt like he was a worm being picked at by a bird. He was starting to randomly wave his sword around so he didn't get impaled into the head when he got the brilliant idea to cut the son of Poseidon off from the bottom. He moved out the way in the last second and sliced the wood in half.

Percy was standing on the dummy's shoulders, making the top half fall from his weight. Nico snickered as the boy jumped to the next pair of shoulders when he cut the next one. They went on with that till there was none left.

Nico figured that he would then get ahead again till Percy decided that he wasn't going to let that happen and the older demigod over powered him again, and very quickly at that. It wasn't long before Nico left the near present of the wall behind him and he thought he was done for good.

Percy span his sword and arm around again, making his body turn 180 and face the wall before shoving him towards it. Nico face planted into it, Percy pressed up against his back, holding him in his place. He felt his body heat and a wave of excitement raced through his body.

"Am I fucking your royal ass hard enough yet?" The sea prince whispered into his ear.

Nico bit back his moan. He loved the feeling of his warm breath on his skin and the scent of the ocean up his nose.

"Oh darling, please." Nico smirked as he push him back and tripped him. He landed on the ground on his back, and Nico turned and towered over him. "In this relationship, I'm the one riding you."

Nico watched as a dim yet meaningful light in Percy's eyes flashed into the sea green mixed. It ended by Nico being tossed by himself back up before the sea prince stabbed him with the butt of his sword and they continued on like nothing happened, clashing their swords again, black iron to tan bronze.

It was when Percy did something to not only block his attack swing but also take his wrist and pop it away from his sword, making his weapon fly out of his hand. It also pulled Nico forward, towards Percy's body, face to face.

His nose combined with and passed his, making the smell of salt water conquer his nostrils again. His chest pressed up against his, feeling every line and bump under his silky shirt. His muscles forced onto his pale, flat skin. Percy came into his full sight, taking over his entire vision, dominating his undivided attention. His eyes looked into those sea green irises that mixed and swirled into a beautiful swamp like pattern that he never seen before. They were so beautiful.

His breath left him. His knees became weak and were about to fail him. His heart stopped. His mind went blank. Everything malfunctioned and stopped as he started at them, at him.

"Damn it." Percy mumbled as he lean in, eyes half way closed. His want breath became fire and his sudden touch on his hips were electrifying.

Nico panicked. He shoved the sea prince away from him, breaking off the heat and the electricity. His body became so cold when he separated his body from him, like lifeless ice.

He stumbled back, still not breathing as he looked up to find a shocked Percy. After a few second, hurt and embarrassment built up in his eyes, but mostly confusion. His small pink lips opened, like they wanted to voice the action in there eyes.

Nico would never be able to give him an answer. He had no idea why he turned down what he wanted more then anything at that moment.

And he can never explain why he ran out of the arena after it as well.


	11. Chapter 11

The drive to Chartwright, Canada was the longest and most hellish one Jason has ever been on.

They crossed over the border the day after their encounter with Iris, at noon, and stopped at a dinner to plan the rest of the journey. He was halfway through his juicy cheeseburger when he turned to the window and stopped. About 15 yards away was a nightmare straight from Hades.

The red haired beast stood very tall on long legs. It's tail was about the size of Jason with a lean body to match. It's diamond shaped head held a pointed, black nose and dark, narrow eyes. Once it set it's sight onto Jason, it lowered itself down to a sprinting position, setting it's aim onto him.

"Um... Guys..."

"What?" Annabeth asked a she slurped his milkshake. She turned to the window and stopped. "Oh shit."

The creator pouched and dashed into there direction. It moved at ungodly speed, and before he even knew it, it was right outside there window. They barely had enough time to take cover on the floor when it blasted through the window.

The people inside panicked and ran out, screaming for help. Jason looked up to find the beast growling and snarling at the other people. He didn't realized how big the thing truly was till he was in that angle. He first thought it was a horse, but then realized it was a giant fox.

The beast looked at him again, and snarled at him. Jason barely had time the get out his coin and flip it into a sword before the thing was on top of him. It's front left pawn that was the size of a tire slammed down onto his chest. He would have gasped out in pain if all his air wasn't pushed out. He winced as the beast lowered it's head down to his face, baring off it's shape teeth and growling. It's eyes were the darkest of browns and they looked like death.

The beast dived it's head down to attack but Jason threw up his sword and used it to keep the beast's mouth wedged opened. Hot, stinky breath flowed down to his face as he winced again from the pain from his chest. He couldn't breath, his lungs being crushed and his ribs being broken. He was about to pass out. He could feel his body becoming weaker and his vision blurred.

The giant red beast onto of him suddenly flew across the room from behind. Jason inhaled as he focused on Annabeth's face. She took a quick look over of him before taking his hand and pulling him up.

"Come on!" Annabeth ordered. "We need to get out of here!"

"No argument here." Jason barely got out and they dashed off. They ran out of the dinner right when the car pulled up. The door was open with Hazel reaching out her arm for both of them. The two demigods flung theirselves in and shut the door as the beast smashed through the entree.

"GO!" He shouted out to Reyna who was driving. She stomped on the petal and the car raced out towards the road.

The three looked back and saw the beast follow them at great speed. Jason looked back and knew that Reyna was already going as fast as possible, swirling around in hopes of confusing it and throwing it off it's balance. The plan didn't work as the beast gain up on them.

Reyna then made a hard left turn, running off the road and onto the grassy field. Cars honked and people screamed when they did so. Jason didn't know what to do so he just on, trying to find a way away from the beast that had followed them the entire time. Reyna made another harsh turn and drove onto a small, rocky road into the woods.

Jason kept his eyes to the back window. The giant fox was not in the sight yet as they sped on. His blue eyes were glued to the small, bright opening they entered through. He flinched when the beast came into view, sliding on the rocks, tossing up dirt. Jason knew they were fucked. Reyna couldn't wiggle it off with trees everywhere and there was no more speed to increase. He felt Hazel stiffen beside him and Annabeth pull out her sword, ready to fight. Jason gripped his handle; he knew what would have to happen.

The beast stood at the opening, lowering it's head as it's growl could be heard over the roaring engine and the squeaky spinning of the tires.

"Reyna!" Jason called for her. She met his eyes in the review mirror and she nodded. She knew too, just like always.

The car slowed from it's rapid paste quickly, coming to a complete stop with all of them lunging a bit. They got out of the vehicle, weapons drawn. The beast made eye contact with him, those dark eyes filled with focus and rage, and Jason made sure he didn't blink the whole time.

"Annabeth," Jason called for her. "What do you know about this thing?"

"It's the Teumessian Fox." She informed him. "It's the vixen that's has never been caught."

"Brilliant." Jason stated in a dead tone.

The beast pranced forward, cutting down the 40 yards of space into 2 within seconds. The demigods were in a curl, prepared to fight. Jason stood in the middle along with Annabeth. The beast snarled at all of them, studying one at a time. His eyes landed on Jason and stayed there as he took hard stomps forward. He didn't break the glaring war as his heart beat banged inside his ears. He felt Annabeth and Hazel tense beside him as the beast came closer to him, only a foot and a half now. Jason kept his eyes contacted to it's, not blinking in the face of danger.

The beast gave out a dark growl that escalated into a throaty roar, before twisting it's body to the left and hopping over Reyna. The girl lunged at it before it jumped over her and escaped into the wilderness. They lost sight and sound of it the next second.

The four teens stayed in attack mode for a few second before declaring it clear and carefully loading back into the car and driving out of the woods.

Annabeth explained later on that the beast was the Teumessian Fox, which is meant to never be caught. In mythology, the fox was once prey of Laepa, the hound dog that was suppose to caught any target. The chase nearly destroyed Greece, which caused Zeus to turn both of them into stone and send them off to Hades for safe keeping. They didn't discuss the matter anymore after that.

They drove onward till they reach a stopping point in a small town. They settled into a small motel that was good enough for the night. They got one room with two beds; Jason shared with Hazel as Annabeth shared with Reyna.

The morning arrived and they headed out after a small breakfast. Jason took the position of driver again as the girls try to lighten the mood that weighted heavy in the car. He guessed it wasn't till yesterday when they realized how serious this all was.

They stopped for gas at a car wash near noon when they got the second reminder.

Jason was at the gas pump, watching the digits of the steadily increasing number change constantly. He bit his lip and decided to stop with half a gallon, just so they didn't get to low on the money they still had. He returned the pump till he caught sight of the most beautiful woman on the planet.

Across the parking lot, lazily using the water hose, was a tall girl with brunet hair elegantly tied back into a long, perfect braid. She wore shorts just a bit too short and an over sized t-shirt that could pass off as a gown to her, tucked into one of the sides of the shorts. She was bronze skinned with a drop of chocolate dipped into the mix.

Piper? Jason thought.

She stood beside her red Mustang, spreading the water over the hood. She held a soap soaked sponge in the other, raising it up and waving at him as she smiled at him with her perfect lips. That glow in her eyes that she had a week ago returned and Jason tried to attempted himself.

His beautiful girlfriend walked over to the front of the car and leaned over to wash the wet car...

"Jason!" Hazel snapped her fingers in front of his face. He flinched at it, but his eyes went straight back to Piper. She was no longer leaning over, just standing there with the hose. The view was still nice.

"What?" He asked.

"Why are you standing there with your mouth open?" She asked like he was an idiot.

Jason held up his hand to adjust to her. He noticed then that he was no longer holding the pump handle. He must have dropped it along with his jaw. "Who do you think?"

Hazel followed his aim, and winced when she found it.

"Her?"

Jason scowled. "Yes, her. It's my girlfriend afterall, who else would I look at?"

Hazel looked at him like he gone mad. "Jason, that's not Piper."

"Yes it is. How could it not be?"

By this time, Reyna had gotten into the debate. She looked over to Piper and winced like Hazel did. Jason was frustrated.

"More like how could it be..." Reyna mumbled under her breath.

"What are all of you gawking at?" Annabeth called out from beside Hazel. The younger girl pointed and Annabeth followed.

Her grey eyes grew wide. "Umm... Hazel, is there anything you can do with the mist to realize who that really is?"

"I don't think I can. I sense no disturbance. Why?"

Annabeth looked at Jason through the back window. He glared at her. He knew he was being stubborn and very stupid but he didn't care. He has been missing Piper more then he usually does, and he felt like he was being attacked.

"Jason," Annabeth said. "Looked at her really hard."

Jason turned and did. She was behind the car now for some reason. He looked straight into those beautiful forever changing colored eyes, feeling his stomach melt and his knees go weak yet again. But then, the image shifted, like a painting being dropped into a pool. Her dark hair flew out of the braid and turned into fiery flames. Her tan skin turned pale white, and her smile turned into an evil grin.

Jason also stumbled back when the new girl jumped into the car. Her long legs were no longer flawless, but messed up. One leg was a donkey's, hairy and hooted footed. The other was made of the actual bronze metal, formed into a prosthetic leg. On her feet were nasty looking slippers that look like a cat threw up on them.

The girl took the hose she was still holding and aimed it right at him. She smiled at him with a sweet grin, but he knew he was fucked.

"Jason, do you see it now?!" Reyna yelled at him, starting up the engine.

"Yeah."

"Then get in the fucking car!"

Jason did, sliding over the hood and jumping into the passenger seat before Greek fire came spouting out at them. Reyna reversed the car in great speed to avoid the blast. Jason could feel the heat through the window. He prayed that the gasoline in the tank didn't cause a fire.

They went as far as grassy area that surrounded the shop. The deathly green fire was no more then a few yards away from the front window when Reyna turned the car back into drive and turned right onto the road. They sped down the highway with the Greek fire now behind them. Hazel squeaked as Annabeth clawed onto his seat.

Reyna groaned as she stomped on to the petal, gaining speed as she did so. Jason looked back for her, acting as if he was the eyes at the back of her head. He kept ordering her to keep going. The fire was growing an inch closer with each second until it backed off and disappeared, fainting out into the sky into nothing.

Jason was about to sign with relief until Reyna beside him screamed. He turned forward in time to see her swerve out of the way before hitting the back side of a minivan. She swerved again to avoid running off another car off the road. She sped forward, in front of both of the cars that were honking at them.

"Slow down Reyna!" Annabeth cried out to her.

The Latina did, making the needle on the dashboard slowly fall to the lower numbers. The girl was breathing heavily. Jason realized they all were.

"What the fuck was that?" Reyna asked as she slowed down to the red light. Her knuckles were hire as she held onto the stirring wheel.

"Empusa." Annabeth breathed out. "She's the daughter of Hecate. Her name means "one-footed", which explains the fake leg. She's known in mythology to attract men to there ideal image of beauty and then eating alive. She feeds off of there flesh and blood."

Jason couldn't breath again as his jaw dropped from shock. "I almost went over and flirted with a man eating monster who I thought was my girlfriend..." Oh Gods, I'm so dead.

"Didn't need to know that, but yeah, basically." The blonde confirmed.

Jason let it go, but he caught Hazel and Reyna looking at each other while the younger demigod mouthed "flirting" while making air quotations.

"Please none of you tell Piper." Jason begged them all.

"We have bigger problems then your relationship right now." Reyna said as she drove on. "How is the man eater connected to Hades or the Underworld?"

"I don't think she is to be honest." Annabeth stated. "I don't really know that much about her."

"All I know is that, next time, Hazel pumping the gas." The group of friends laughed by the joke and drove on in mainly silence next 32 hours were like that as well.

Jason took back his driver seat after when they stopped for the pass night. They were running extremely low on money, to where they couldn't afford another night in a motel so they drove through the night. Reyna drove till about midnight and then traded with Jason so she could get some sleep. Jason could never sleep easily in a car anyway. Well, that was his excuse, he only liked being in a car if he was the one driving. He just felt nervous with anyone else behind the wheel, especially after the life saving yet life threading driving by Reyna earlier that day.

They finally arrived into the Cartwright city limit around three. The son of Zeus would have jumped with joy if he wasn't it a car filled with sound asleep girls. The plan was to get to Cartwright as fast as possible, without killing anyone on the way, and find a way to travel over the ocean to Iceland.

Jason couldn't help but miss the Argo II at the problem he held at hand. Most of all, he missed his good friend Leo. His crazy buddy would know what the group needed and, somehow in someway, pull it off.

Jason drove on into the surprising large coast city. He stopped within a few miles to get more gas. He was shivering in the coldness as he watched the numbers go up. He blow out a sign and caught sight of his foggy breath. Why did Canada have to be so cold?

He shoved his hand into his jacket's pockets and tried to jogged in place to get his blood flowing.

A tap from inside the car made him stop. The window rolled down to find a bleary eyed blonde with a mop of hazel colored curls in her lap.

"Good morning." Annabeth barely smiled at him before she let out a long, deep yawn. Hazel glanced up towards him with her eyes still closed.

"Did I wake you up?" Jason asked.

"Your chattering teeth did." She joked.

"Sorry." He started to jump. "It's so cold."

"Alaska was a lot colder." Hazel stated. "The sun's never out so no heat. Thank the Gods, we're not going there."

"Plot twist!" Reyna called from the front seat. "They're in Alaska."

Hazel snickered slightly. "You guys have fun with that."

Annabeth bursted into snickers that were soft at first and then escalated into a giggle attack.

Reyna looked at her through the review mirror. "It wasn't that funny, Chase. Calm down. You're too much this morning." She joked. Annabeth only laughed more.

Jason smiled and ended the number that was too high for his liking. He got in the car and drove on again. Hazel was sound asleep before he even pulled out of the parking lot, her head snuggled into the older girl's lap. Annabeth, who had her blonde hair messed up into a high bond, laid back into her seat and signed softly as she settled in and relaxed against the seat. Jason noticed Reyna staring at Annabeth a bit too long. Again.

He drove on, finding it easy to find the east side of the town. The roads were cleared and most of the lights were green, which was a bit odd, but he wasn't complaining.

Reyna stayed awake with him. She didn't speak much, mainly looking out the window. Jason assumed it was because she was still half asleep, which made sense. Who would be all bright eyed and happy if they were only running on about four hours of sleep, especially after a few rough days on the road.

"What are we doing again?" Reyna asked as she yawned.

Jason fought back his mouth, trying not to yawn himself. "We're going to find a place to park for the night so we can all sleep. Then, in the morning, we'll try to find something that will take us over to Iceland for cheap. Maybe an airplane or something. I don't know."

"It's worth a try." Reyna boosted him. "Maybe we can talk someone into letting us rent a plane."

"I wish Piper was here." Jason signed. "Her charmspeak would be really helpful."

"Yeah." Reyna nodded.

They went on like that for a few minutes till they found a mainly empty parking lot of a closed grocery store. He pulled in and parked, turning off the car, despite his personal need for heat.

He turned to Reyna and debated rather to ask her the million dollar question or not. Of course, he was taking a great risk asking so he had to be sneaky with it but he really wanted to know.

"So how's your..." He titled his head back in a small gesture. "Book?"

Reyna sat back and looked at his funny. She was judging him but she smiled anyway. "It's good." She nodded.

"That's good." He tapped his fingers on the wheel. "What do you like about it?" He asked shyly.

She smiled at him, and, now he might have been seeing things here, but he could have sworn she blushed. "It's a good story. It's interesting. The text it's written in is kinda difficult to read at times. Sometimes I have to read it over twice or so, but, you know, I like a challenge."

Jason nodded. Were they really have this conversation. "Okay. Night."

"Night." She leaned her head against the window.

He smiled at her before leaning back and closing his eyes.

It felt like ten seconds before he opened them again, due to shock.

He jumped in his seat when he heard the tap beside him. He blinked a few times before looking into the face of a very angry Canadian man. He didn't get a word out before the crazy guy starting yelling at him to get off his lot. It woke up the whole car and Jason knew he was in deep trouble.

"Okay! Sorry!" He started the car and practically bolted out of the lot.

"My Gods..." Annabeth breathed as she rubbed her eyes.

"That was a lovely alarm." Reyna sassed at him.

"Sorry." Jason said.

"What now?" Hazel sat up. Her hair was wild and sticking up on one side of her head. Jason only noticed because it blocked his view of his review mirror.

"We're going to go over to the docks and find a place that can hopefully get us to Iceland in someway for cheap. Or we can sneak on, whatever has to happens. There some snacks that will have to do for breakfast." Jason handed the back the bag they carried all the snacks in.

Jason drove on, circling the car as he made a turn on a small upward hill. He caught something out of the corner of his eye, and once he turned to face it, he almost died from the sight. Literally.

"Jason!" One of the girls screamed. His eyes snapped back to the road and saw that he was driving straight into the fence blocked off cliff. He swirled right to get back onto the road and made another turn to get onto a straight road.

"Jesus Christ." Annabeth held her hand to her chest.

"Jason, what the hell was that?" Hazel looked as if she wanted to smack him.

"We're going there." He stated firmly. "We have to."

If what he just saw was really real...

"If you see Piper in booty shorts again, I'm going to kick you." Reyna threaten him.

Jason drove on. The car soon drove down a short lane that came to a dead end. At the dead end stood a rather large shop made of metal walls and roofs, making him recall Cabin Bucker 9 from Camp Half-Blood. There were a few gas pumps in the small parking space and it, from his view, a deck that led out to the Atlantic Ocean. On the roof, hanging off the edge, was a white, red, and yellow sign that read:

Leroy and Cassidy's Auto Repair and Mechanical Inventions.

That set it off so bad, and he didn't know why.

A small part of his mind screamed out an answer, but he knew it was just his soul being hopeful and stupid.

It was impossible. Leo was dead. Calypso was forever held hostage on an invisible island. There was no way...

He pulled in and parked. The girls were checking out the place through the windows. Annabeth was the first to turn back to him.

"This place might have what we really need." She nodded. "Maybe some of his inventions..."

At first, Jason was lost. Then he recalls there next step in the quest. "Oh yeah. Um, yeah."

They all got out of the car. Jason led the group up to the entree that were glass doors. A small bell rung as they entered. They came upon a counter with a phone and calendar and all the office someone would need for a desk. In the far distance there was a loud sound of working parts, but it didn't over power the room. The only other sound that they clearly heard was the soft humming of a sweet soprano voice.

Jason looked at Reyna from the corner of his eye. The girl was looking back with the same question he was asking: Are you going to do this or should I?

Jason shook his head and went up to the counter. "Hello?"

The humming stopped and the sound of footstep replaced them. Reyna and Annabeth stood to his sides as a new woman came out of side room. She was tall, and had tan skin with cinnamon colored hair and a sweet smile that she flashed at them.

A pounding alarm went off inside his head. He feels like he knows this girl but not in a way he usually knew people. He felt like he knew he through someone else. He couldn't tell anyone anything about her but he knew her somehow. It sent shivers down his spine; the first sign.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She put down the papers she had in hand. "I didn't hear the bell. Hi, I'm Cassidy. What can I help you with?"

"Oh yes. Um..." Annabeth spoke up. "We were looking for something that we can use to travel over in Iceland with."

"Iceland?" She titled her head. Her ponytail swung behind her. "That's an interesting vacation spot."

"We have family up there." Annabeth shrugged casually. She lied smoothly, Jason considered, but he knew it wasn't good enough with Cassidy.

She titled her head the other way and narrowed her eyes at them. He would have been nervous if she wasn't smiling jokily. She leaned over the counter like he was about I tell them a secret.

"Are all of you demigods?" She asked them.

Jason tensed but kept his poker face. He knew the girls were doing the same. None of them spoke.

"I'll take that as a yes." Cassidy smiled. "Come on back with me." She waved them to come around the counter and follow her into the back room through the door.

Jason hesitated before heading after her. He took small steps till he passed through the door. He entered into a show case room with dozens of machines lined up along each wall. Tags and suckers with the features and prices stuck onto all if them; all of them being a different shape and form and color then the last.

He bit his lip again. Not only did they not have enough but the Cassidy girl was still giving him the déjà vu creeps.

"You guys are lucky." Cassidy walked in front of them. She wore jeans and a white t shirt. "Demigods get a discount up to 15% and all our machines are monster resistant. Over here is the Bronze Horse that can run just as fast as the real life Arian, and has hidden wing so it can fly like a real pegasus . It also comes in gold, if that's more your style."

Jason noticed that Reyna was eyeing the horse. He wasn't sure if she was seriously considering buying it or just admiring.

"Oh, and over here we have our 4 wheelers with the bulletproof front window and extra stronger tires. They're on sale now for half of the original price." She waved her hand over.

Jason knew none of this were helpful in anyway, but he didn't want to be rude. If she, by some grace and magic, was who he was figuring she was, he wanted to leave a good impression. He knew that sounded so stupid.

The caramel headed girl led them through another door out into the beck that he noticed before. "But I think these selections are more of what you need-"

Cassidy was cut off by the loud sound of machinable work that vibrated the wood under his feet. When it died down, Cassidy smiled at them in an apologetic way. Jason couldn't ignore the fear and sudden panic that bursted into her eyes.

"I'm sorry about that." She said. "That's my husband, Leroy, working on his latest project. His work shop is under the beck so he can be as loud as he needs to be." She glared down to the wood and stomped her foot hard. "Keep it down! I have friends here!"

Jason wasn't sure if he liked the way she said the word friend in such a causal yet enforced way. Like she was heavily hinting at something...

The man below shouted back something that he could barely hear or make out. Cassidy stomped again. "I heard that!"

She looked back at them and smiled. "Sorry about that. Now, back to what the matter is..." She waved her hand over again.

Out on the crystal blue water was a line of ships that went from smallest to largest. Jason almost stepped back in the shock. He felt like he was staring at different versions of the Argo II. It sent shivers down his spine and happy memories flashed before his eyes.

"All these ships are highly qualified for long distant sea travel but also for great for just vacation usages." Cassidy went on. "Oh, I'm sorry. I never asked for your names."

"Hazel." Her face stayed neutral.

"Annabeth." Her face somewhat flinched, but recovered quickly.

"Reyna." That didn't do much to her.

"Jason." Her eyebrows rose at that. She looked away, like she was processing that. She pursed her lips and that caused him to have a million more red flags shoot up inside his head.

"Okay, well, for the small party here, I would recommend that one." She pointed to the second largest one. "That is our Poseidon Model with five rooms and a private captain chamber with the automatic control over the sails and escape boats. It sends off different scents when it senses magical presence near by, just for extra protection, which cannot be back when you go onto a quest."

Jason tensed. They never mentioned that they were on a quest. She was just assuming they were heroes. He glanced down to the wood; he wondered if he really was just below his feet.

"Umm... Does that 15% still apply here?" Hazel asked.

Cassidy looked at all of them for a long second before speaking again. "Would you all like to go onto the deck?"

Jason nodded along with the girls. They followed her down the steps and onto the lower deck. Jason thought of making a run for it towards the workshop once he caught sight of the door. He was about to step back when Hazel took him by the elbow and pulled him forward with her. They looked at each other and she shook her head. At least he knew he wasn't the only one with that thought buzzing around in his mind.

They came up to the ship and climbed the ladder. Annabeth and Reyna went first, walking around on the deck of the ship while Hazel and Jason stayed down with Cassidy.

"How is it guys?" Jason called up to them.

"It's perfect." Annabeth answered him, leaning over the railing.

Jason wasn't sure if that was the answer they needed. He turned to Cassidy. "How much?"

"It's free."

That didn't make any sense and both Hazel and Jason tried to make her change her mind over the matter. They knew no auto shop owner would just give up a ship like it was not that big of a deal. But Cassidy was determined to not change her answer. She insisted it, and the demigods soon lost that battle when she handed them the receipt.

They faced there defend and headed back to the car to gather their belongings and moved it over to the ship. Jason had to retrained himself when he passed the door again; he almost lost.

He was on the deck, looking up to the girl who were walking around the ship. He wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do, but he guessed that he had to move on from it. Really, he didn't want to leave. Mainly because he wanted to see who was behind that damn door, but also because he never felt comfortable at sea. He was the son of the Sky God after all. His uncle didn't exactly like him, and being in his domain is a dangerous area to be in. He signed. Oh well.

He felt someone move near him. He glanced over to find it to be Cassidy.

"I wish all of you the best of luck." She said.

He smiled at her. "Thank you." He went over to the ladder and began to climb up onto the ship. When he was halfway, Cassidy called up to him. "Tell Piper that I said hello."

Jason stopped. He turned back to her, who was smiling like a lifetime friend. Like what she just said wasn't abnormal and impossible at all.

Jason, shocked in that moment, just stared and nodded before going on. If that didn't answer his theory then he didn't know anything anymore.

They smoothly drifted off. Annabeth was up in the captain chamber since she was the only one who knew anything about sailing. Reyna was down stairs checking out the place more since she wanted too and Jason wasn't going to stop her. Hazel was near the railing, hoping that she wasn't going to get so sea sick this time. Jason was standing at the front, looking out and praying to his father that they don't ship wreck.

He looked back to the shop they just left behind. They were about twenty yards, but Jason could still make out a new figure merging out onto the deck, coming along to stand beside Cassidy.

Jason ran over to the other side of the ship, ignoring Hazel's call for him. He got there and almost cried and relaxed all at once.

On the deck, a tall Mexican man stood beside Cassidy with his arm lovingly around her. His huge crocked grin was still visible for his position, since Jason saw it in his memory most days.

Leo and Calypso waved the ship goodbye, and Jason waved bye.

{...}

got ya.

I know you all were hoping for an update with Percy and Nico but I wanted to talk about the quest for a little bit just to be unfair to you all. Sorry, not sorry.

The next chapter will be back with Percy and Nico, so I'm not being that mean. I am excited to write this through. I hope it makes you guys happy, like I hope this chapter did. Thanks for reading.


	12. Chapter 12

Percy laid in the bed, trying to comprehend what had happened earlier. And why he was reacting in such a way from it.

He was right there, literally an inch away from the dream he wanted to be reality. And it ends. Tragically.

He replayed the rising action inside his head over and over again, hunting for the error that made everything go wrong in the climax as he miserly struggle through the falling action. He didn't know what he did wrong...

It all began, in his eyes, the night of the deal being made. After the sun rise, Nico left his room, and Percy went back to sleep for a few hours before waking up and going about his day. Nighttime arrived quickly, with the full moon shining through his window. Percy had already changed and was waiting for Nico to come by like he always did. It was a normal night, at the time, and Percy was glad to have a routine like it.

The Ghost King soon arrived, dressed in what he was wearing earlier in the room. Percy smiled even more. Those gorgeous blue eyes sparkled in the moon light and it made Percy feel even more giddy inside. He loved having Nico to himself at night; it was one of the greatest pleasures in his life.

The boy smiled at his too, using only his fancy foot work to fling off his boots. He unstrapped his belt that always held his two swords and carefully tossed it over to the near by chair. He ran his long fingers through his messy hair and breathed in deeply, moving his chest in a slight, upward gesture.

Percy watched the normal act with interest every time. He loved seeing Nico moved around with delightful movements. They were careful and delicate, like a leaf being gently blew in all the directions of the summer breeze. He found it somewhat odd, in a small detect, of how it didn't fully define him entirely. Nico might move with soft grace, but he truly strong. For a leaf in the wind, he had faced so much and stayed together the whole time when he should have torn apart or died out.

The younger boy pulled out his shirt that was tucked into his pants and walked over the water bowl to wash his face. Percy felt his head title the other way as he followed him. He left one corner of his mouth in a small smile without realizing it. He kept on staring.

Nico shook his head and dried his face. He caught Percy looking at him and smirked. The Sea Prince felt his cheek heat up.

"Are you enjoying the view?"

"Oh yes." He sassed back. "I brought a ticket and everything."

The King laughed and came forwarded to the bed. Percy grinned more as he sat down in front of him. He noticed the new redness to his high cheek bones.

"It was hot today." He stated.

"I can tell." Percy longed to cup his cheek.

"I'm used to the cold."

"Why?" Percy asked simply.

He didn't mean to start spilling secrets.

Nico didn't lookat him when he asked, his smirk faded down to a forced grin. He swallowed hard before looking back at him. Percy thought he did the thing he was trying his best to avoid: stepping into Nico inner area of emotions and experiences that he didn't want to talk about. He knew that he told Nico everything about himself, but he was an open book kind of person by nature, on most topics anyway. Nico was the polar version of that; he was much more private and personal. Thats why he was cautious over any of the matters that could possibly caused the sudden mood change.

"Alaska does that to a guy." He responded.

From that night on, Nico told him about his life after the Giant War. He told him the tale of how he ran away right after the victorious end, which was his plan ever since he came back Tartarus. He did so, fleeing off to Alaska. He began a new life there, building himself a cabin for a home and providing food and supply from the woods he lived in. He described it as a peaceful lifestyle, one that he enjoyed to some extant that ended in the spam of three years.

Percy still found it extremely out of character of him though. Nico never came across as a wilderness man to him. Even now, he couldn't see it. Sure, the picture of a even buffer and raggedy handsome version of Nico with an axe over his shoulder and a beard is somewhat funny and slightly hot, but it was still unlikely.

Nico continued on about how his cabin was destroyed by a random attack of hellhounds. He said he had to shadow travel to escape the second attack and ended up somewhere else he didn't recognized. He then told Percy of how he found Oltre Malavita.

It astonished him. It seemed like a myth, a magical fairytale. It was like a made up story that he would normally not believe, but he knew Nico and trusted him. It wasn't a lie.

Once Nico was finished, Percy asked the only question he had. Why?

"I told you this before, Percy." He answered. "I just needed to get away. From the gods, from everyone."

Now that was a lie, or at least a small one. He knew how it felt to want to get away, and he could easily see why Nico would want to, but there was more to it then Nico was going to give away.

He was spinning off his tale differently then he did. Percy didn't want to share but felt like he had to, so he only gave him a bit at a time. He spoon feed him everything in their nightly sections; almost pushing himself to the point of choking on sobs and tears to make sure he got his mouth full. He didn't want to keep it from him. He knew Nico would relate, so he didn't mind to much. That's why he IMed him in the first place. Nico had been the only one to relate.

They went to bed late that night. Percy was laying down on his side and his eyes were very heavy. Nico was sitting cross legged, bouncing his right knee. Percy would never understand how the boy contained so much energy. He knew there were many night where Nico didn't sleep at all, sometimes on a long stream. He knew the days in Oltre Malavita were constantly changing and most of the time they were shorter then the days he was used to in the mortal world, but he still found himself sleepy and resting for long hours at night no matter what.

"Are we still on for the fight tomorrow?" Percy asked, letting his eyes rest for a little bit.

"Yes. Why?" Nico stopped the bouncing of his knee.

"No reason." Percy answered. "Just making sure. You know you can back out if you want. I'll understand if you're scared of losing."

Percy heard his chuckle and lay down next to him. Percy opened his eyes to find them face to face. He loved the view: Nico with his dark eyes and rose cheeks and shining pale skin...

Percy scooted a bit closer to him, trying his best to limit himself the best he could from the tempting heat source. He'll never understand that either; how Nico was always so cold during the day and suddenly warm during the night. Maybe it was just his imagination. Yeah, probably was.

He didn't realized his eyes were closed again till he felt something soft on the tips of his fingers. He could barely open his eyes enough to see fingers slowly intertwining with his. Percy used the last of his energy to follow the gesture, locking the digits together into the spaces perfectly. He felt a warm embrace ringing down inside his stomach from the physical contact. He enjoyed the new feeling, with the coolness of his skull ring and the warmth of his skin touching the other's. He never wanted to let go.

"Night, Nico." Percy whispered. He scooted closer, planting his ear to his chest. He heard the heart beat of the younger boy and felt the warmth rush to his cheek. He loved this position. He can't image a night without it.

"Night, Percy." Percy faintly felt the sudden petting of his hair before falling into a heavenly sleep. He did not have nightmares that night.

Morning arrived and Percy woke up to the feeling of movement, followed by coldness. He curled himself up even more in the blanket as he heard Nico leave the room. He laid there for a few seconds before slowly opening his eyes lazily. He didn't stay down for all, slowly lifting himself up to a siting position. He let out a long yawn before turning in his mind and recalling everything from last night. He rose from bed a little bit later, determined to make it a fun day for both of them since last night ended on such a serious note.

He dressed in a light white shirt and black pants that were tucked into his brown riding boots. The shirt was long and the pants were bagging so it was comfortable but he felt like going to bed afterwards. He fought the longing to go back to his future husband of a bed and headed down to the fighting arena.

When he was walking out on the green, he caught sight of Bradshaw who looked like he was just coming back from the fighting arena. Percy nodded to him as they passed and he reflected the notion. He hadn't really spoken to the general in a long time, not since the last attack from the tyrants.

Before he entered inside, he made a promise to himself that he would try to lighten the mood and make the day fun. It was his first chance to spend time with Nico during the day and he wasn't going to blow it.

Sadly, the fates didn't agree with him.

Percy looks back on the event with such embarrassment yet thrill. He was hurt a bit from the rejection, but if he had the chance again, he wouldn't hesitant like he did before.

When he was right there, less then an inch of capturing his goal, and he pulled himself back from it for a small second. He felt the insanity and the electrifying throb for the first time in along time. He glanced up into those eyes and found the lighting and the signs to be right.

He never really felt like this before, thought. This galvanization was different from anything he ever felt before. The blissful adrenaline that put his mind and body to a hold and to a race in harmonizing unison.

He watched the pair of eyes in this new strains. He loved the way they nothing stood still, like the owner. They flickered and fidgeted in pointed traces as they straighten back at him, with the light reviling there true shade and hue. The pupil expanded slightly, like they were seeing something they were amazed by.

He knew then. It answered everything he needed to know.

He mumbled something he didn't quite remember, barely feeling it pass and leave his lips. He leaned forwarded, taking what he desired, what he longed for for so long...

The shove of a forceful hand was short lived, but still enough to make him take a step or two back. His view vanished in a blur to the ground before lashing back onto them at a farther distance. They were wide, filled with shock and confusion, like they didn't know what they were doing themselves. Hurt soon developed in those irises with fear and sorrow. Then they gone. Nico was gone.

Percy stood there for a long time after he ran off, standing to where he back touched the wall for support. He forced himself to breath even though it came out it huffs. He tried to comprehend anything that just happen, along with name and his age and his life. And his emotions. Gods, those needed the most help.

His excitement drained from him like water flowing out if a stream. They rush passed his mind into his memory as he dealt with the new ache of bitterness and sadness. He never really been rejected before and he didn't like the way it settled with him. Especially with Nico.

He didn't cry or even got mad. He was just confused and still was when his trainer came into the platform. They trained for a while, ending the lesson early. His mind never left Nico.

Afterwards, he traveled up to his room, only grabbing a slice of ham and two rolls for his dinner on the way. The staff didn't noticed since most were running around even more then normal. He didn't ask

why; he just kept up his haste.

He stayed there for the rest of the day and into the night. He ate his food slowly along with his pacing around the room. He didn't even walk in a long straight line; he wondered around blindly, lost in his thoughts and soul search.

He, in that short frame of time before total nightfall, came to the conclusion that he did want to kiss Nico, and he had finally came to terms fully that he had wanted that for a very long time now, but why was still a larger, more complex problem he wasn't sure he could solve.

Overall, Percy was a bit to emotionally attached to Nico then a normal friend should be. He images people in his condition freaking out about it if they were in his position, keeping the fact about who they were to themselves and trying to convenience themselves otherwise.

That didn't completely settled well with him, like it was a dirty little secret he wanted to share and gossip about. And weirdest of all, he wasn't really ashamed about it. He didn't feel different whenever he thought about it. He still felt like himself and didn't really find anything wrong with it. He was okay with it. Entirely, completely. It was just... Well, Nico might not feel as comfortable as he did with it.

He didn't know if Nico would like the fact that Percy now found him in a new line of light. A very different light then the friend light that they had entered into. Before all of that, during the two wars, Percy wasn't sure of who he was, since he changed so much after Bianca's death and all the shit he went through afterwards. Then, when he first came into the new world, Percy saw him as a good friend who he was grateful to have because he treated Percy with kindness and helped him through his own stage of hell. But now, Percy saw him as a very dark looking guy with a hidden sweet side buried under his appear that he has grown to become fond of. He has had a feeling of something more start inside his head and grow into a much stronger feeling of affection that he couldn't completely explain or even understand himself. All he knew as concrete solid knowledge was that he liked Nico a little bit too much then he probably should.

Why? He had no idea. When? During the time when they became close, he guessed. How?... That he didn't know, but then again, he didn't really seem to care. All he cared about was if Nico felt the same way. If so, then maybe they could go a little bit farther, like Percy has been wanting too. If not, well...

That's the thing that held him back from ever saying anything about it. He didn't want to be rejected by his friend. He didn't want to lose Nico.

He smacked himself. He might have just done that.

He told himself that he would handle the ordeal later and he turned back over to his wardrobe and changed for the night. He opened the window to let the cool wind in since he was still sticky and over heated from earlier that day. He felt flushed from his thoughts, his mind always going back over to how Nico looked in the moonlight and how he was so kind to him...

That only confused Percy even more on the matter. He always assumed he was heterosexual since he never really found males attractive before. He had the mind set that he only liked girls, but was okay with others who weren't. He lived in New York, for Gods' sake. He's been around people like that and have seen some weirder stuff them two guys in a relationship with each other. It's just he never really thought of himself into that way before. He always found girls attractive. Yes, there have been a few boys who came by that he found cute, but not in the same way as he found girls cute. He never had a man crush or a bromance before; he never gave it much thought of having one before. He was so involved with her that it never really crossed his mind.

Then he encountered Nico again, and that all changed.

Maybe he had a very certain type with boys? That wasn't possible. He had seen boys like Nico before. All darkly dressed with italian features, and none of them have ever caused this much of a riot inside himself. That and if he did, wouldn't he liked him right away? Well, the boy was twelve when he found them, he let his sister died on the same quest he was on, and that was around the same time she when missing so that consumed all his thoughts... Makes sense, in a certain light, but still very unlikely. He dismissed the solution right away.

He recalled how after that, once he told the young boy at the time and she came back, Nico loathed his presence. Even if someone mentioned his name to the son of Hades, the boy would get in a fit of rage. Looking back on it, Percy still understood why, and the guilt built back up inside him yet again, making him feel sick to his stomach.

Percy sat on bed as a new question formed in his mind. Why did Nico helped him after that? Now, in his kingdom and castle and humble company... Why was the Ghost King giving him such a kind treatment? Yes, Bianca's ghost explained everything and how it was her own action that caused her death, and eventfully Nico forgave him, but forgetting was the harder part.

He sat there for a long time before the loud sound of footsteps broke the silence of the hallway. Percy made careful yet fast movements to the top of his bed and gently laid himself down on his side, as of he were sleeping.

He pulled the covers over his chest as the shadow appeared in the dim light of the doorway, down at the bottom. Nico had arrived that night, something Percy was scared that he wouldn't do again.

He laid there for a long time, staring at the shadows never move. He wondered when he would finally come in, and what would happen when he did. He wasn't sure if he wanted him in or not then.

The feet moved, turning in the heels and exiting the sight to the left of the door. They were back again soon, crossing the thin line of light again and again. Percy felt himself smile at the thought of Nico pacing in front of his door. He always did it when he was ranting or thinking hard over something.

Then Percy thought about what he could be thinking about. His blood ran cold.

He watched the feet move in a line for a long time, feeling an aching bitterness in his stomach. He realized that all he cared for was to have Nico come through the door. He hated the anxiousness that built inside him. He hated the fact of not knowing what the hell was going to happen if he does come in. He hated not being with him, especially since he knew how his emotions were now. The knowledge seemed to put everything into a new light.

Percy saw them stopped and flinched. He laid down and acted as if he was asleep before he heard the ticking of the turning door knob. He focused on inhaling and exhaling evenly when the light poured into the room. He felt his skin begin to pickled as he felt Nico entered and take rather small steps to the bed.

Percy peeked one eye open to find Nico's back towards him. The Ghost King was looking at the door, like he was considering leaving him. Percy kept his eyes open, praying and begging for him to stay to his backside.

Nico turned back around and his eyes locked into Percy's in the same second his did. He jumped back, not realizing that he was awake. He didn't say anything.

Percy focused on breathing again, trying to keep his emotions sealed inside. He didn't want to spill out his soul and his feelings on the matter yet. Yes, in that moment, he had the clearest thought-the brightest answered theory-of what he felt.

He just wanted Nico to lay down with him. He wanted Nico touching his skin. He wanted to feel Nico's presence. He just wanted Nico.

The younger boy's eyes filled with so much emotions that they seemed to be flooded by it. He was had his mouth open, looking as of he was trying to force himself to say something to him. Percy looked up to him in innocent interest and knew it was why he was making it so hard. It's easier talking to someone who doesn't care. Both of them did though, which made everything more difficult.

Percy didn't want him like that. He didn't want to put Nico on the spot at that moment. It was clear he was in the same boat as Percy himself, clueless and confused. He didn't want to watch him stammer and try to explain this when the title of their emotions can be waited on later on. Tonight, they could just be together, because that's all that matters.

Percy held up his arm, his fingers reaching out and pointing towards Nico's hand. The boy responded immediately, reaching out with his hand. Together, they interlocked their fingers and Nico joined him. Percy scooted over to him, diving into his body heat and eloping himself into the sound of his heartbeat. He breathed in his scent of clove and soil. He crawled out for the touch of his soft, skin.

Nico wrapped his arms around his shoulders, squeezing Percy into his chest. He felt those full lips and that cute nose pressed against the top of his head. He couldn't hear him, but he felt the lips move into his hair, whispering something he couldn't make out. He only snuggled in closer. He didn't want any apology yet. Nico got the message.

They stayed like that all night. Percy fell asleep in the position, after feeling the soft ups and downs of Nico's chest. His back muscles were very relaxed and he never really moved. He was sure the boy was asleep and decided it would be best for himself to do the same.

He woke up hours later, alone. He woke up to the sudden feeling of absence to find his bed empty. He sat up and found it to be the morning, the sun just fully risen out of the horizon. He must have over slept or something, which is stupidity since he didn't have any classes today.

He pursed his lips. He did feel somewhat up set that Nico left him before he woke up, but he understood that the son of Hades needed some space to think. He needed it, too.

He rose from the bed. He felt lonely again, in the cold morning. He waddled over to the window and closed it. He shivered again, wishing that he had Nico back to warm him.

He signed lightly as he noticed something thrown over the nearby chair. He found it to be Nico's long black robe. Percy has found the robe to be very pretty, even since he first saw it, he had wanted one himself. It flattered the King so nicely, as well, with the lacy laces and long train. He didn't noticed them at first, but he soon found that there were precious jewels planted beneath the fabric, glimmering in the light whenever Nico moved.

He, expecting it to hopefully not cause a riot, put it on for himself. It was light on his shoulders and back. The train was a bit short when it was on him but it still left a black trail behind him. He viewed himself in the mirror with it. It looked odd and awkward for his type of body, not fitting him properly. He still left it on through. It smelled of clove and felt warm.

He felt his face; the hairiness had gotten out of control. He wondered to the bathroom, which was small and only held a brass colored tub for bathing. He didn't find anything to help him there so he assumed that he had to do it the old fashion way. He hoped it would turn out fine; he had never done it before.

He pulled the water bowl over to the mirror and graded Riptide. He uncapped his sword and hoped it doesn't hurt as much as he thought it would. The demigod pulled out a fist full and straighten it out all the way. He swallowed before taking the blade and quickly slicing it off.

He stumbled as he held back his cry of hurt. A painful tingle spread through his whole cheek. He dabbed some water there and it recovered quickly. He breathed in before doing the small action repeatedly. He bite back the pain as he kept smoothing it by the water. Luckily, it was salt water from the beach. That was always the best for his usage.

He was done lately afterwards. He hated doing it, making a vow to never do it again if he could help it. The results weren't too great either. His sad, now scrawny beard was patchy and nasty to look at. He couldn't leave it like that, but he didn't know what else to do. He went back into the bathroom, ratting through the cabins. He found some a smaller knife with some smooth white liquid in a can.

He tried it, and then kicked himself for not finding it earlier. His face was soon clean and nude. Once he washed the leftover from his jawline, his fingered the blade in his hand. He noticed that Nico didn't have any facial hair. He should have asked him about it before hand.

Nico... He sure that their relationship was still somewhat alive, living fully maybe. He wasn't sure if it was were it stood before or possibly move forward into something more. He wanted the latter option, but only if Nico wanted it too.

It was plain enough to see that Nico held strong feeling towards him and vice versa. It was easy to see why Percy desired after him, but why Nico the same for him was a bigger mystery, if not the biggest one of all.

Percy found himself nibbling on the end of the strap of the robe. He bit down on something lightly. He found it to be a small ruby and was admiring it when the door suddenly bursted open.

Percy dashed around to find the King of Oltre Malavita standing in the entree. He held a determined look on his face, but didn't speak. Percy stood there, shocked to hell about the sudden entree. He waited for something to happen, but nothing was said. The Ghost King looked away from him for a second, glazing his eyes over to the light coming from the window.

Percy looked away from him. He felt so weird, so awkward. He was still wearing his robe, which didn't make matters any better. He put down the knife and walked over to the bed. He sat down softly and waited for something to happen again. He wasn't sure if he did want something to happen.

He was afraid of what was about to come. He was afraid of everything and anything to come. He didn't know what Nico would say, would do, and it scared him to the bone. He knew that Nico felt the same, if not close, but that never promised anything.

Percy felt himself wondered off till he caught Nico turing around to face him. His eyes were set onto his. Percy never seen him like this before except once. He was so fragile and so raw. He hated the sight.

"For the pass five years, I have found myself berserkly and wildly in love with you. Ever since our first encounter in that damned school when I was twelve, to this very moment. I have loved you undeniably for most of my life... And I'm afraid and delighted that I forever will."

Percy sat there stunned. He couldn't really grasp or could attempt to described the look of pure untold emotions on Nico's face.

The boy but his lip before going on. "I know this sounds so unreal and impossible, but I have. From the beginning, through Bianca's death, the labyrinth, to the war and so on... My adornment and affections for you have grown stronger through it all. To the point where they are apart of my being, like my godly blood. I first thought it was a small crush that would soon pass, later on down the road, because I couldn't like you. I just couldn't, but it reversed. My embellishing of you flamed into love so quickly... Too fast for me to stop it. I've tried the fight it; so hard and to the bitter, painful end. It was the truth that I couldn't face. I couldn't, I wouldn't, but the proof was proceed and presented everyday to me..." He looked away from him. "I visioned the way you laughed and smiled. I visioned your eyes and implanted them into my mind...Your personality and the way you put your friends first above everything else... It became my safe heaven. You became my beautiful, glimmering hero."

Percy felt his eyes go wide and his breath taken away from him. He didn't know how to react. He felt so many things that once he could name them all.

Nico was quiet for a moment before turning back to face him. His expression was cold and sad and heart breaking to the Sea Prince.

"I was always the hopeful kind. At least, back then I was. It was so stupid and pitiful but you were just something I couldn't let go. I loved you and I was hopeful... It's the deadliest combination... I just about took that hope to my grave. It was my motive for everything, for life in general, really. I used that small thought to drive myself into talking you into the river of Styx, for when I was hunting for you, when I found you, when I went to search for the Doors of Death, even when when I was down there... I just got so..." His voice cracked. "Just by the mere thought... That maybe we had a chance..."

Percy wanted to hug him, to hold him and say he was sorry, but he couldn't move. The information was overwhelming and dulling his senses on actions. It's just he never seen a sign that even subjected it. "I never noticed it before." He felt himself confess in a whisper.

Nico didn't hear him. He went on. His eyes were dark and so sad. "But I never had the chance. I always withdrawn from you, from everyone, because of it. Because you had Annabeth; you looked at her so lovingly. I knew it was hopeless to confess to you. So I became afraid of you; of you ever knowing... I was scared of rejection from everyone, but you most importantly. You see, I always knew I was..." He waved his hand off in use of the word. "So I ran off. I ran away after the war, cutting myself off from everyone and everything that involved you. I needed to. I had to so I could finally give up on my damn endless hope and move on from you. So I could find the love and happiness I deserved. Yes, I was alone, but I was safe and sound and away from you... And it was a sorry, poor attempt that failed miserably. I soon discovered from it that it was a hopeless case. I couldn't do it, no matter what. You were alway there, in my mind."

Percy pulled the now cold robe closer to his chest in a comforting motive. He never felt so guilty and terrible in all of his life. He did that to him, caused him to restart his shitty way of living because he couldn't get him out of his mind. He knew if he just noticed or maybe even give him a bit more attention...

Nico took a soft step towards him, reaching his hand out to cupped his cheek. He stopped before his skin touched his. Percy placed his hand over his and brought it to his face. He needed his touch, he needed him...

"I'm sorry for the kiss." Nico began, not pulling his hand away. "I'm sorry for all of this. I'm sorry for ruining everything for you here... I understand if you want to leave now. I get it. I'll began to search for the exit from here and try to find it for you as fast as I can... But I would really like you stay." His voiced broke entirely then. His tone became light and his jawline hung open as his chin went shaky. "I'll take care of you. I'll always keep you safe and sound and worried free. I'll put you above everything and everyone else, like you always done for everyone you loved. You deserve the security for yourself. You'll always be accepted and loved and respected and free with me. We'll play this your way, because I know this is so crazy and strange and new to you and I don't want to push you into anything you don't want to do. Just say it; anything you desire. I'll do it to the best of my abilities. We'll do it. We'll do whatever you want, just please stay with me..."

He was on the very tippy edge of breakdown. He was about to fall to his knees to him and Percy didn't want that. He didn't believe in begging for anything, and he didn't want to cause Nico to be reduced down into that. He caused him enough pain in his life.

He laced his fingers with the younger boy's. Nico took that as his sign of his finally plead. "I need you... I _love_ you.. Just tell me what I need..."

Percy never felt such a inflection before. It crazed inside him, blooming soft and raging fierily all at once. He didn't know how to exactly describe it, not really sure if he ever could, but he knew what it meant. He never felt it before, but he knew exactly what it was.

He felt wanted, needed... Loved.

He felt loved and he loved Nico right back.

"I just want you to kiss me..." Percy gasped out in his small attempt to show him how he felt. His whisper this time didn't go unnoticed. Nico didn't hesitant either.

Nico took his other hand to Percy's spare cheek and brought their lips together into a fast, passionate meet. Percy melted like ice over a flame, adopting to the kiss like it was a nature occurrence. He felt his free hand grabbed onto Nico's arm for support. He didn't realized he was so limp from the effect.

Nico pulled away first, breathing heavily. He was grinning like a fool, which Percy found cuter then anything else he has ever done.

He leaned into him, making there foreheads touching. He couldn't help but smile, even though he couldn't bring himself to look at the son of death. He was trying to hold back his silly giggles of joy. He felt his cheek burn with delight.

"Gods, you're cute." Nico commented. Percy lost it and laughed fully heartedly. His body racked from them, leaving him to wrap his arms around his Nico for support.

He sneaked another kiss in, knowing Nico wouldn't mind. He pulled away again. "I'm staying."

{...}

Yay! Percico happened!

I had so, so much fun writing this. I took my time and made sure I enjoyed actually writing it. I listened to 'Little did you know' by Sierra and Alex to get into the mood and I don't reject a single thing.

I hope you all loved it as well. Thanks for reading. Next chapter is going to be even better!


	13. Chapter 13

Percy woke up to the best day of his life. He has been doing that for a while now.

Ever since the night of the kiss, Percy has been the happiest he's ever been. Nico was the absolute best. Hands down.

Ever since the beginning of there new relationship, life has became better without that much change. Their routine hadn't altered much; they still didn't spend a lot of time together, unless it was in the late of night or the early of morning, but it was more valuable then before. Yes, they still spoke in the same format as before, still in very personal topics and mutual understandings, but it was still easy. It was like they were still friends, but that all changed at night. And he loved that.

Whenever Percy got sleepy and settled down into the bed, Nico would smile and snuggle up with him. Percy's head was on his chest, hearing his wonderful heartbeat. It was heavenly, to the point of true bliss. They would stay like that all night, like normal, but Nico now would kiss him goodnight, on the top of his head, and tell him he loved him.

Yes, it's cheesy to the point of annoyance, but he so happy. He hasn't been this happy in such a long time. It was heartwarming and it made him feel alive again. He didn't constantly dwell over his past and how he done everything and everyone wrong back then. He rarely thought about that hellish place below the Underworld anymore, making his nightmares become less occurring to never happening. His paranoia has subsided and he found himself becoming more peppy and active, wanting to get out into Oltre Malavita and discover even more of it's beauties. He wanted to live and love again, instead of casting himself out from the world, just waiting for death to claim him like he deserved.

Percy found the latter desire first, with Nico. Every time he woke up, which was earlier then he did before now, he would sit up and glance down to the boy under him. He would be asleep most of the time, but when he wasn't, he would look up to him, not really shocked by the sudden department of physical contact, mainly because he would always put it back to together. Nico would smile up to him, like he was cute or something and hug him, bring him back down to where he was on top of him. Percy always felt like he was crushing the boy so he would flip them over to where he was on his back and Nico was settled onto his chest. It made sense since he was the smaller of the two, but that didn't stop him from glaring down at him with a smirk. Percy smiled devilishly back at him.

Of course, that didn't always happened. Or well, it always led to something more then just smiles. He reminders doing it once and it lead to a fiery wrestling match. It was after Percy flipped so he was at a disadvantage with the Ghost King on top of him, but he still was able to fight back and get to push him back. They kept going on with the short tackles and pulling back of limps and surprised tickle ambushes for a while. Almost spending the whole night wiggling and bashing around on the bed till they somehow ended up on the floor with a thud. Percy was too busy laughing to stop Nico from taking hold of his wrists and hold him down. He called uncle and accepted his fun defeat. He stopped worrying about crushing Nico after that.

Another night, when Nico hugged him down to his level, Percy settled himself onto his lover's shoulder, loving the feeling of his smooth skin touching his lips. He smiled against it, feeling Nico snuggle up to his head. It was the perfect opportunity.

Percy turned his head and slid his lips up to Nico's ear. He gave it a sweet peck before whisper singing the lyrics to his favorite song in _The Little Mermaid_, the one about everything great under the sea. Nico didn't understand at first, but once he realized what he was singing, he let out a groan and tried to push the Sea Prince off him; threatening that he was sleeping alone on the floor that night. Percy got himself out of the punishment by quickly kissing him before he really did so. It worked, like always.

He recalled another night when things weren't so PG rated. Percy flipped them over, like always, but Nico was sitting on his waist instead of laying on top of him like normal. Percy was okay with it, resting his hands on the King's thighs. He liked how he blushed slightly at the action, barely enough to noticed.

The whole sight was breathtaking, overall. The Death Prince on top of him with those beautiful eyes and flushed cheeks along with his pale skin and full lips... Oh hot damn...

Percy had to sit up and kiss him. He didn't have to nerve to control himself. He just did it before the thought progressed fully in his head. Nico didn't fight him back, accepting the offer without hesitant but it soon escalated from a simple little kiss that lasted a few second before another came and then another. Before he knew it, he was hungrily licking Nico's bottom lip, asking greedily for entree. He granted it, and they engaged into a fight for domains with their tongues. He felt himself moan against it when Nico grabbed a fist full of his hair. They pulled away for a few seconds after what felt like centuries; Nico lingering to stay there, even going as far as softly biting his bottom lip to do so.

Percy lost his breath from the tingle he received from it. Then he lost his restrain and dove right back into the heavenly sensation. He wrapped his arms around his boney waist and shove him up against his own, feeling some slight up and down movements. He noticed and moved along with him. He earned a squeal from Nico and it just about made him lose all of his control. He pulled the boy closer to him, the make out section almost turing into a teeth clashing frenzy, before they fell down onto the bed.

Nico disconnected his lips from his. He got off his waist and settled himself to lay on his side beside him. Both were breathing heavily and destined to be wide awake for the whole night from that point on. Percy loved the sight in front of him even more now. Nico's eyes were dilated and his lips were swollen with his cheeks were even more flushed now. Oh, it gave Percy such a thrill knowing his caused that to the King. He had to do it more often.

It was the night before last when the biggest event took place for them. Percy didn't even push himself up to look down at his lover in the moonlight yet when Nico ran his hands over his bare back and whispered into his ear.

"Come with me. I want to show you something."

Percy did as he was told. He lifted himself from the boy and got out of the bed, as Nico did the same. He grabbed his robe near by and tossed it over to him. Percy put it on, hoping that it will become a thing they did now since he found the robe very nice, and walked out of the room with him, their fingers laced together.

Nico stuck his head out to check the hallway before pulling Percy along and down to the farther end of the hall.

"Where are we going?" Percy asked him as they quietly scattered down the hall.

"Somewhere I only discovered yesterday. It's mind blowing." Nico whispered over his shoulder.

The two boys kept going down the dark hall. Percy wondered if it was endless and Nico was just trying to carry him away or something. It was a weird and stupid thought but a bit romantic. It was a pretty day dream inside his head: both of them just running and sliding down the hall, the robe's trail flapping widely behind them as they giggled and snickered. Percy was thankful he was the only one to live down the hall, or they would have blown their own cover already.

"Here it is." Nico exclaimed. He turned Percy to the door on the right with a golden door handle. Percy was curious right away, and he wanted to know even more when Nico turned to him and gave him his famous mischievous smirk. Sure, they were about to get into trouble, but who cares.

Nico opened the door and pulled Percy in with him. He wasn't expecting another hallway with lush red walls and carpet.

"Nico what is this?" Percy asked him. The Ghost King only pointed up to the walls. Percy followed his finger and found the wall to be decorated with two fine rows of painting, portraits of both a man and a woman who were similarly dressed and posing in a royal, powerful statue. None of them smiled, all frowns and mean scowls; glaring as if they were ready to attack or punished someone. It intimidated Percy, badly.

"What is this?" Percy asked.

"The time line of the royal couples that have ruled Oltre Malavita." Nico answered. "Bradshaw said he hasn't seen this collection in years. He hasn't even thought about it since the last couple to ruled."

"Oh." Percy voiced as he glanced up to the first painting. He knew the man from his own portrait in the front hall of the castle entree way. He was the second king to rule, only a few years after the first king. The woman beside him was piss leg scary, in a nice way, if that made any sense.

The woman had long, curly blonde hair that framed her face perfectly. Her skin was the color of lily petals and her lips were as plum and as vibrant as a rose, with a heart shaped head and a softly pointed nose. The image was ruin completely but her eyes, that were very narrow and dark, like a Cobra's; poisonous and dangerous. Percy turned away quickly, shaking off his memories, and moving forward.

Nico was there before he even turned around fully. He enveloped him into a hug, making him feel warm inside. The Sea Prince looked up to the Ghost King who was smiling brightly at him. "I'm not trying to suggest anything, but I thought it be cool to show you this. I found it interesting, and I thought you would like it."

"I do." Percy smiled back. Yes, a small voice inside him was screaming that he was lying, but he did find it somewhat cool till he saw that one picture. He was ify on the whole ordeal then. "Do you know anything about these people?" He felt his eyes wonder back to the blonde woman.

Nico followed his eyes. Percy glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw the younger boy frown slightly. He knew what Percy was thinking. They have came to terms that she was not to be mention or every talked about out loud. She wasn't something Percy was too fond of to talk about or even think about with his blood boiling and his mind thudding.

They looked at each other again. "That is the first queen to ever grace Oltre Malavita. I don't recall her name but Bradshaw told me that she was the second cousin, twice removed, of the king. She didn't last longer then six months before being sent back to the mortal world."

_Funny_. Percy thought. His relationship with her didn't last longer then six months either.

"Come on." Nico took his hand again. It took his full attendant. "I got some juicy stories on some more down here."

Percy let Nico pull him away. He forgot about the other woman as he stood in front of a new painting of an other familiar dark looking man with a proper looking red head. Obliviously, Nico wasn't getting the hint of Percy struggling with his past love life partners.

"This is the twelfth queen, and apparently, the picture gives her no justice." Nico told him with a cute, knowing smile, like he was about to tell him a dirty secret about his best friend. "In real life, she was a very much like a beanpole with a horribly large nose. And her hair was never that straight. It was frizzy, so frizzy that it would have cover up the king if they actually drew it." Percy giggled at that. He found it adorable, the way Nico was acting as a cute little gossip over the royals. He was sure that he was acting because Nico was never to be the type that likes to interfere or know a lot about other people's lives, especially when he didn't know them.

"And after you got through all that hair, you found a minefield of pimples." Nico nudged him.

"How?" Percy gave him a funny look.

"They wedded when she was fourteen and he was about eighteen." Nico said.

"Jesus Christ." Percy commented.

"It's not too shocking." Nico shrugged. "He was crowned when he was fifteen, and I'm only seventeen."

"That's still a bit crazy." Percy wrapped an arm around the younger's boy waist.

"Yeah." Nico said. "But she was one of the calm ones. Not very pretty but she wasn't power hungry or blood thirsty."

"Where are those who were?" Percy looked around.

Nico pulled him along with his smirk growing wider. They went down a long way before stumbling upon a portrait with a black cloak over it. The fabric was thin, letting Percy still see through it. Nico pulled the cloak down and to show him the painting fully.

The couple look very...powerful, in a need for a more proper word. They weren't scary, like some of the others, but more authoritative, like they were respected because they were fair and tolerant. The man was dressed like all the kings, like Nico, in a complete black silk attire with golden armor accents. The woman was the same with all the other queens. She wore a black dress that had a deep v-neckline and long sleeves. Her gown fitted her nicely as she sat straight up in the throne beside her husband. She had a red lace sash that laid across her torso, the same one that every queen had. It was a thin fabric that was sowed into the pattern of marigolds and it was the color of roses.

She was a beautiful woman. Her features were sharp and rightfully portioned for her rather oval shaped head. Her lips were the dark color of magenta pink and her eyes were the bright shade of jade green. Her hair was pulled back into a long braid with a few wavy strands out dangling in front of her face; the rusty color complemented her creamy tannish skin. She looked so lively, yet so orderly that it wasn't hard to guess she was a Queen of the dead. She had to be to be so.

"She's beautiful." Percy awed.

"Most psychopaths are." Nico replied to his statement. "She's number twenty-six. She's the only one who successfully killed her husband in an act to take over the throne."

Percy jumped at that. "What?!"

Nico told him then. Nico told him about how she wanted to take the throne for herself to correct the order and function of the kingdom.

"Why?..." Percy didn't like where this was going. He felt weird discussing this subject, and the blonde's eyes on him from down the hall didn't help him in any way.

"She was cold and hateful to the people here from the first day, and grown to despise them." Nico explained. "She was lonely because of it, which probably led her to loose her mind later on, along with her humanity and her morals. She loved her husband, and he loved her back, but he had many affairs, which made her feel unwanted and betrayed. She might have killed him just because of that. I would have."

"That poor girl..." Percy breathed. He understood why she gone mad. Yes, her actions were wrong, and she shouldn't have done any of it, but it was reasonable why she did it. She was lonely, angry, depressed, heartbroken and mistreated. He easily saw why she lost her mind and how it easily became her undoing.

"According to what I've heard," Nico added on. "She was French, and came from the time period of the French Revolution, particularly the Reign of Terror. She was surrounded by death in the mortal and in here. She probably thought there was no way out and decided to take matters into her own hands to change that."

Percy never had a real problem with the people in Oltre Malavita. Yes, he had that one bump with Bradshaw when he first arrived, but the two of them have grown from that, and have became somewhat of friends. Overall, the people of Oltre Malavita were some of the sweetest people he ever met. He didn't understand why the woman who came here were so mean to them. It just didn't click with him.

"Is it common? For them to loose there minds?" Percy asked.

"No." Nico responded. "Most don't like it here, yes, but they would act out to display it to the king so he would send them back to the mortal world. Sometimes, he would try again and marry another woman but the results would be the same. In the end, he would just give up and soon retire from his throne afterwards." Nico took his hand into his. "But there have been some good. Some of the queens have liked it here and found it comfortable. They have had a few that liked living here. The bad is just more common then the good."

"Oh." Percy was only able to breath that out.

"Percy," Nico tugged on his hand. "I'm not saying anything. I'm not trying to say anything. I trust you with my life, darling. I'm just asking. Are you okay here? Are you okay living here? Happy and feeling accepted and all?"

"Of course I am." Percy said within the same second Nico finished. He really was. Yeah, sure, he got lonely sometimes but not enough to drive him mad. And he still got to be with Nico most of the time where they were alone, which were the best moments ever.

He loved Oltre Malavita. It was beautiful there. The people, the place, his Nico... It was his heavenly escape from his hellish before life, where nothing but guilt and hatred waited for him, to consume him and his mind. No, he was happy here, were he was healing from his past, understanding his rights from his wrongs and being loved by his Nico.

He wanted to stay there forever. Like he has been for the past twenty years.

"Are you sure?" Nico asked him again. "I just want to make sure."

"Nico I love it here. I don't want to leave." Percy answered.

"Do you love the land or just being with me?"

"Both." Percy smirked at him before pecking his cheek. Nico looked uncertain but accepted it as a firm answer.

"Come on." Percy room his turn in leading. "It's late and you have work tomorrow. And I have classes."

"Oh no." Nico joked. "You have, what? Two classes to take? We wouldn't want you to over sleep an be late."

"Come on." Percy laughed along with him. They walked down to the exit. Percy tried to avoid looking at the painting of her as they closed to door behind them. He could finally breath again before returning back to his chamber and sleeping the night away with his Nico.

Last night was different from the one before. Nico came into his chamber very late. Percy was laying on his bed, halfway asleep when he finally came in. He took off his boots and stripped off his shirt before climbing inside the bed and snuggling up beside him. Percy was too tired to talk and he knew for sure that Nico needed some sleep as well, so he just let the boy lay down on his stomach before making his way to his bare back. Percy laid down as he wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled the covers up his shoulders so they both could be warm. Nico gave a light groan in acceptance and they slept the night through.

Percy slept soundly, and woke up to another perfect day when he felt the King move under him. He blinked his eyes opened before glancing to to see a barely awaken Nico. He snuggled closer to the boy as he realized that it was late into the morning. Nico would usually be long gone by now, and Percy would be having Italian if Florence didn't call off for today.

Nico didn't move again, and Percy took that as his chance to move off his back and to his side, pulling him along, both of them coming face to face with each other. Nico kept his eyes closed and Percy snuggled down into his shoulder.

He was just about back into a blissful sleep when his pillow moved. Percy let himself lazily slop off his shoulder as he pulled himself up and out of the bed. Percy, a bit irked by the sudden absence of body heat, flapped his hand out in time to grip onto his lover's wrist. His sad attempt was a fail when Nico kissed his hand but wiggled his way out of his grasp.

He walked over to the wardrobe and took another one of his shirts, pulling it over his chest, much to his dismay. It has became a thing for them to start wearing each other's clothing. They even went as far as trading boots, on accident, for a day. Percy regretted that later on when his feet hurt from being squeezed from the too small sized shoes.

Nico came back to the bed and sat down. He was pulling and tying his boots (hopefully his) when Percy saw his next golden chance. Percy fought against his sleepiness and flung himself onto the Ghost King's back, slinging an arm around his neck and letting it hang down his chest. The boy under his let out a groan but Percy could hear his giggling.

"Babe," Nico took an odd hold onto his hand. "I have to go."

Percy didn't like that answer. He wanted Nico to stay with him. He didn't have anything to do today and he wanted to spend more time with Nico. That and he felt clingy and cuddly. He just got in those kind of mood sometimes, wanting to be loved a bit more. Yes, it was foolish, stupid and, quiet frankly, gay as fuck, but he didn't care. He just wanted to be with Nico.

He got an idea then, knowing how he could get what he wanted. He normally didn't do it because he preferred Nico being in charge but desperate times called for desperate manners.

Percy leaned back over to Nico's neck and started to lovingly kiss that spot in the middle of the neck and shoulder. He made his way up and down his neck, making his lover stiffen for a short second before relaxing with pleasure. He threw his head back as Percy continued his work. He made his way up for the second time when he reached to a soft spot just under and a bit behind the ear. He kissed harder, using tongue slightly, feeling the small space between the two bones.

Nico flinched and gasped for air in a cut version of his moan. Percy felt his body tense before his hand reached for the edge of the mattress and held on with a death grip. Percy knew he had him then.

He stayed there and worked his magic before moving along his jawline and up to those tasty looking lips. He fell into them in a soft landing. He wanted to go passed the boundary into paradise but Nico took him by the chin and separated the connection.

"You're cute when you're needy." Nico teased him.

Percy hit his in the chest.

"And apparently abusive when you're unsatisfied." He had the balls to say.

Percy wanted to hit him again but didn't. "Do you have to go?" He pouted. "Can't you take a day off? I have no one to hang out with or anything to do. I'm going to miss you."

That got his attendant. Nico looked at him with concerned eyes. Percy regretted ever saying anything after that. Percy has notice often that ever since the whole queen title that came up in that one meeting a long time ago, Nico had been concerned and worried over his feeling while he stayed in the castle. He understood that it was another reason why the took him to the red hallway of royal the other night. He wanted to make sure he wasn't going insane.

Nico looked away from him. Then looked back with his eyes bright with an idea. "When was the last time you spend a day outside the kingdom?"

"Like, twenty years." Percy answered.

"Then it's an over due trip." Nico replied. "Go out into the city for a day. Make some friend, look around. It's beautiful and as their Belliessa Margaretta, you should go out and socialize."

"Don't you think that they will react like last time though?" Percy asked.

"They might. You are a celebrity here, after all. Go in some peasant like clothing and keep your head down if your nervous about it. Bring a guard with you if you want." Nico offered.

"I don't know. I just don't like being..." He made a wide circular gesture with his hands. "Swarmed."

"At least go out and get some air. Didn't you mentioned that you wanted to take a dip into the ocean? I know you want to. Go do it."

Percy considered that for a moment. He really did want to swim. He's been daydreaming about it since he arrived to Oltre Malavita. Maybe Nico was right... For once.

"Okay, I'll go." He finally agreed. Nico smiled at him. He put on his other boot and then attached his belt to them and belted it all together at his waist. He opened a drawer in the nightstand and tossed him some golden drachmas at him.

"Enjoy your day." Nico kissed him on the head before heading out of the room. Percy waved goodbye and was alone.

He breathed in and out for a few second before slowly dressing himself. His wardrobe was becoming barer and barer. He smiled at the sight, pulling out his last pair of pants and a faded grey shirt. He hid the money in his right foot boot and made his way out of the room. He hoped his looked somewhat okay, since he didn't brush his hair and was starting to get a beard again. He recalled that he needed to get some more shaving cream, especially since he was completely out after using the last of Nico's he stole from his room.

He went down the steps and turned to the south wing. He walked down the hall, which was the shortest one out of them all, and exited through the large set of doors that were used for emergencies during war times. Percy pushed forward and the smell of the ocean air hit him full blast. He smiled widely. Oh yes, he was in his element.

He basically ran for it. He went up the hill to find the ocean beneath him, falling downhill into the beach. He settle down in the peak of the hill and stripped down to his underwear. He flung his clothes on a rock close by and slid down the slope, feeling the warmth of the sand under his feet. He smiled again. He hasn't had that sweet sensation in so long.

He ran into the water, embracing the sweet coldness like a life long friend. He missed it so much. Once he was out of the shallow end, he dove right in, dunking his head under water and swimming farther down into the wonderful bliss. He didn't expected that there would be any fishes in the water he was proven wrong when a small school passed back him. He barely could make out any of there thoughts with all of them going at once so he just swam on like nothing happen.

He barely saw anymore after that, so he swam up to the top and surfaced. He took in the fresh air, inhaling deeply. He splashed water in his face and hair, dunking himself under the water a few more times just to feel good again. Percy always felt better in water, salt water especially. It refreshed his senses and awoken his mind.

It's reminded him of Camp in a way. When he was younger, he would spend all his free time in the lake. Before he had his sword fighting class, he would get a bucket and full it with the water and dunk it over his head to help him fight better. He used to get crap from other campers about it once they caught onto his little scheme, but he didn't mind. It wasn't that big of a deal, but he still refused to stop doing it when they asked him too.

He snickered at the memory. He started to remembered one of the many sword battles he had with her and how she made him stopped for that one time. He lost, but he always lost to her.

He stopped snickering as the resentment filled back inside him. He felt his jaw tighten and his eyebrows narrowed. He also felt his heart recruited and the guilt build on his mind.

She gave him mixed feelings, like she always did, but not in same way anymore. One side of him loathed her, hating her for everything she's ever done to him. How she yelled at him on his last night in the mortal world, how she didn't considered him and everything his been through. Yeah, she been through that hell too, but he had plenty of baggage before then, too much for her to put on the same damn scale.

The other side felt the exact opposite. He hated himself for everything he had done to her. Every since they were twelve years old, she had dealt with him. She supported, trusted, and, later on, loved him. She stayed with him through all of the chaos from the aftermath of the war, and strained herself for him. Even when she was broken herself.

He felt the rage and the guilt battle inside his stomach as he thought over the matter. He began to feel lifeless again, like all the energy he just gave flew out of his body and lifted him almost numb.

That's really why he never thought about it anymore. It took too great of an emotional toll on him and he didn't want to go through it all again. He was just freed from a three year strain of it and he never wanted to go back.

Besides, his romantic connection to her faded away after the war. Even without their problems after the war, Percy could see why they would last. They were completely different, and the chances for them making it was small. But that didn't mean they still couldn't be friends.

Yes, Percy was mad and feeling guilty, but he didn't hate her. No, he just didn't want to dwell over her anymore. He wanted to move on and live a new life with a new beginning without permanent effects from his past life screwing all of it up.

He wanted to move on. He wanted to move on with Nico, with a clean start, and make it better then what he had before. He was away from the Gods, away from the people who know him in his before life. He had the golden chance, the upper hand, there, and he refused to let that go to waste.

He smiled to himself at the thought. He liked it; he really did. The picture of him and Nico happy in a peaceful Oltre Malavita, living a long and happy life together... It seemed too amazing to be possible.

He took a long dive under before making his way back to the shore. He walked out of the shallow end, into the sand, welcoming back the warmth. He felt the sun on his skin when he sat himself down and pushed his negative thoughts aside. He didn't want to think about it; it was the last thing he ever wanted to think about.

He leaned against a rock near by, the same one with his shirt and pants. He sat there and bathed in the sun for a moment, letting his body dry naturally for once. He recalled the first time he was ever in the water. He didn't really get the chance to enjoy it-he didn't even realized he was in water- before the guard pulled him out and he sucked in the air.

He recalled how he was against the place at first. Once he heard that they had a king, he was done. He was ready for a reaction of how he was treated by the Gods and how he had to do another errand for them because he was a hero and they loved seeing him squirmed.

Then he caught his first sight of Nico and he was shocked down to the bone. How in the hell did he grown up to such a man?! Percy wasn't attractive to him like he was now back then, but he had to ambit, puberty treated him very kindly. Percy now see very clearly that he was Italian and he fit the look of a ghost ruling king as well.

Percy stretched one last time before dressing himself. He kept his boots off and rolled up his pant. He ran his fingers through his wind blown hair and popped his neck. He breathed in the salty breeze once again before longingly leaving the beach. He was defiantly coming back, but hoping for some relaxing. He didn't want to soul search anymore.

He walked up the hill after crossing the beach. He soon came upon the midday busy village, and forgot he was among the dead again. They moved so swiftly, twisting and curving their airy bodies. He first figured that they would just walk through each other if someone got in there way but as they never did. He didn't have the guts to ask them if they could.

But still, it was a very amazing sight. He had to keep reminding himself that these were spirits, since they looked as if all the people on New York's busy streets were dressed in Ancient Greek clothing. The way the sunlight hit there skin and shined through it made their bodies look tan and healthy. Their hair blow and bounced behind them, shimmer the colors of a very light blonde or a dark brown. It was really like they were alive.

He watched them walk and talk with each other, smiling and laughing. Some were buying things at the stores, even a woman putting on some jewelry and admiring herself in a puddle of water. There were musicians huddled into a small pack, playing a tune that was soft and slow. Not many paid mind to them, but Percy found them enjoyable.

He stood between two buildings, watching the crowd. He forgot to grab a cloak or something to hide himself, so he wasn't sure what to do then. He hoped that he didn't get caught and chased back to the castle. Nico wouldn't be happy from it, but still find the sight of Percy dashing through the doors, scared to hell, funny and laugh about it for the rest of his life. He would never let him live it down.

Percy took small steps out into the opening, slow and trying very hard not to be noticed. He knew if he just walked along with the crowd and kept his head down he would be fine. He was going to play this as if he was in Manhattan again, just trying to get to his apartment called home after a long day of school.

It worked for him for a good while. He walked with the crowd, taking glances of what was happening around him. It was interesting, the people watching, that is. He saw a man preaching to no one in particular about the end of the world. He saw a woman and a young boy playing together on the ground, making people step over then by not paying much mind to them. He saw two young girls try to steal a basket full of apples, and almost achieved, before the seller caught them making a run for it.

He was near the stores as he walked, making he make sure to keep his head down low even more. He heard them try to coaxed him into buying their product in smooth tones. He ignored their charm and walked on like they never even spoke to him in the first place. They started to become background noise as he kept looking around and watching the people of Oltre Malavita.

"My fine gentleman, would you like some nice fresh fish-"

"Good sir, we have a surplus of wonderful pots I'm sure you will-"

"Well, isn't it the Belliessa Margaretta."

Percy stopped walking immediately, which was his biggest mistake. He should have kept walking, pretended like he didn't hear or even act like he wasn't the Lovely Pearl, but it was too late by then. He gave away his hiding post.

He quickly got out of line and stopped in front of a wooden stand paint white. The sign was visionally old and was about to fall off the stand. The store itself was alike to all of the others in the line, not standing out too much, except for the white wood.

Leaning over the opening of the stand was a dark skinned man with a wide smile. He looked somewhat friendly, but the was a business man mask that Percy learned to avoid. He wasn't happy, to say at the very least. His bubbly mood was now deflated and gone. He was unhappy about getting caught. He knew if anyone was looked at the scenery for a second longer they would recognize him and all hell would break loose. He was upset he let himself get caught.

He stood in front of the dark skinned man. He was grinning like he won the lottery, which Percy didn't expect. He didn't know he was such a big deal in Oltre Malavita. Nico did mentioned that he was somewhat of a star but he didn't really believed him. It seemed to unreal and dramatic for him to be so, and really for the soul reason that he was alive and a demigod. It wasn't like he was Queen yet.

_Yet_... He never thought that before...

"Hello, your Majesty." The man bowed slightly, still grinning.

"Hello." Percy reflected the greeting, hoping that it was normal and proper for him to do that. "And please. I'm trying to be on the down low. Just call me Percy."

The man looked confused when Percy used the slang terms but nodded anyway. "I just wanted to formerly meet you... Percy." He said his name like it was odd tasting. He was used to it with teachers and students in school. His name was truly uncommon, but it was his name and he was alright with it.

"So, what do you have here?" Percy asked causally.

"_Salotto Di Tatuaggi_." The man spoked in the naive language.

Percy had to translate what he said. He got the first word, but the rest confused him. He looked up to the sign again and it clicked.

"Tattoo parlor?"

The salesman looked confused now. "Yes..." He answered.

"Cool." Percy knew he shouldn't be using so much slang, but oh well. He looked passed the man and saw a ghost having something drawn on his bare chest by another ghost who was leaning over him as he worked. The ghost looked as if it felt no pain which dazed Percy, till he realized the painted ghost was using a brushed then a needle.

"What are they doing?" Percy asked the man.

"This is what we do." He spoke with a thick, deep accent. "Our people here cling to the memories of there former lives. They value them and some even paint it into their skin to always remember it."

Percy nodded. He was somewhat happy that he was right, but he still found the sight in front of him even more amazing. He liked the idea of it all; implanting your memories onto your skin. He never really cared for tattoos but this had more of a signification motive behind it and it was admirable, in his eyes.

Part of Percy disagreed with that. The part that would love to forget everything about his pass. He wiped the memory away temporally.

"Come." The dealer waved him over, openings he way for Percy to walk through. The Sea Prince came in, walking over to the two spirits, watching them at work. The tattoo was of a hourglass with curvy lines framing it. It was outlined in black, without any other color's presence, onto the man's chest, like a harsh bruise or birthmark.

"What's the hourglass for?" He whispered over to the seller.

"It's the symbol of forever long life." The owner answered.

"Oh." Percy could understand that. His eyes wonder to the frame painting they had across the wall. He found the hour glass, along with many more beautiful pictures. All of them were different, not having any strong relations connected to each other.

"We do all these." The owner spoked. "All of them represent something particular that any of our consumers can relate to and find perfect for there choose."

Percy nodded as his eyes landed into a simple drawing of a marigold flower in full bloom, petals in perfect alinement. He recalled the lesson he got from Florence years ago, about how the marigolds were Oltre Malavita's special flowers and how they were involved in everything in the kingdom. They were the bouquet of the brides at every wedding and the flowers they threw up into the air during there celebrations. They were the only flowers that grew in the land, while all other living plants withered up and died. Marigolds were the death flower, after all...

It made no sense to her or to anyone else, not even Percy but he recalled another fact about the two that stuck out the most to him.

"I see you staring at the marigold." He owner mentioned to him. "That is, indeed, the symbol of the Queen and her power and beauty."

Percy had his mind made up before the man even finished. "How much?"

The owner was shocked. "Pardon?"

"How much for that," Percy pointed to the marigold. "On my hand?"

He man voiced the price and Percy handed him the whole bag from his boot.

They started right away. Percy seated himself in the spared chair as the man got out his tools and paint. He took the picture off the wall and sat it up near him.

"What color?" He asked. "Where?"

Percy peeked over his cups of paint. He only had white and black.

"White." He answered, then pointed to his left hand palm. "Here."

"Do you mind if I add some details to it to make it prettier?" The owner asked.

"No, go for it."

He got to work. It didn't hurt, and it barely tickled. He just sat there, trusting that the man knew what he was doing. He watched the other artist finished his work on the other consumer and went to the front. Percy watched the view, happy that none of the spirits that peeked in didn't noticed him in the back. He was started getting nervous where the light of the sun slowly faded and it was almost complete nightfall.

The man doing his hand worked officially and thoroughly. He was focused on his hand the whole time, changing brushes and dipping the tip into the white paint every so often.

He finished when the sky was a dark shade of purple, and the sun was barely above the horizon. He gave the man all his money, thanking him for not blowing his cover earlier.

"T-thank you so much." The owner shook his undersigned hand. "You are a pure hearted man, your highness. May the Gods bless you."

_That be a first._ Percy thought. He was also a first for someone to say that to him. He smiled widely, liking it.

"Thank you." Percy said. "I'll be back someday, I promise. Thank you so much again."

Percy waved he farewell. He made waved back and soon closed down the store for the day. Percy walked down the Main Street with his head high. The street was bared, which meant he didn't have to hide. He even got to hold up his hand in the strong breeze to dry the paint. He walked on to the main entree of the castle. He guards opened the gated for him without hesitant. Percy waved to him, still smiling.

He looked down to his new hand. The white paint glowed in the low light, shining brightly from his own tan skin. The marigold bloomed so lovely from his palm; performing as the centerpiece of the masterpiece. Around the flower were linear lines with dots and curves that broadcasted out from his skin in a delightful pattern. It swirled all around his finger and down to his wrist, acting as a glove of skin implanted lace.

He loved the sight. It was still unreal to him that he now had it, but he knew he wouldn't regret it later on. He declared the new mark to be his vowel of beginning anew and living his life with a fresh mind and clean past. He was happy, and this was a sign that he planned on staying that way.

He walked into the castle, and down to through the dark hall. He noticed that his hand glowed even more in the dark and smiled wider. He finally made it to his destination: the throne room. He found his prize: The Great King Nico.

He was sitting on his throne cross legged and leaning on the arm rest when his eyes found him. He smiled till he saw the hand, then a questioning express took over his face. Bradshaw was standing beside him, and mumbled "Oh Gods."

Percy kept up his smile. "Don't you like it?" He held his hand out to Nico who didn't touch it but studied it.

"You do know that it's permanent, right?" Nico asked him.

Percy nodded. That was mainly why he got it. "Do you like it?"

"Yes, I love it." He smiled up to him in a real smile. Bradshaw took a look at it and nodded impressively.

"It's very nice. Done very well." He commented.

"Are you sure that you wouldn't want this removed later on?" Nico asked him.

Percy glanced down to it again. His new beginning, his new life, with happiness and love...

"Not a chance." He answered.

{...}

God this is a long chapter. It took me awhile to write it, especially with life getting chaotic again.

But I had fun writing it and I hoped you enjoyed it. Sorry it took awhile to update. I normally try to do it weekly but I discovered that I get better results if I update during the weekdays then the weekend.

Also, please inform me if you think that the heated parts of the chapters are a bit too much for the rating. I just don't want to break any rules or anything.

Thanks for reading. Please review.


	14. Chapter 14

A journey over the sea was never a good experience for Hazel. She always became ill which later on made her moody and tired. But mainly ill. Her head was swimming and her chest hurt. She couldn't breath through her nose so she was walking around with her mouth open all the time, which didn't make her feel any better.

And the ship's attacks didn't make the matter any better. The trip that they only predicated to take four days ended up being a twelve because time was swallowed up by all the invasions they had with the nymphs of the sea and all the miscalculated directions. None of them knew what they were doing, Hazel especially.

She'll ambit it; she knew nothing of the sea. Annabeth tried to, since she was the smartest one out of the group but still had mistakes that made them end up going miles out into the wrong direction. Reyna was too used to her roman ways to trust the sea, so she rejected to it high demands quickly. Jason tried to sail and navigate as well, and Hazel tried to help him with it as well, but both of them were hopeless on the case.

She was starting to loose hope entirely, wondering that made by there was a way back home so they can try again, but then, as the bright dawn broke through the horizon, she woke up to the sound of a happily cheering Jason. Hazel was the first one up and out, since she never slept fully on a ship. She joined the over joyed boy on the deck as he danced terribly, poking to the front of the ship, out into the wide deep blue. Hazel followed the trail and soon joined the boy in cheers of joy.

Land!They found land!

Annabeth came down next and ran to the other end as Reyna came aboard and danced along with them. The three Romans were happy as they could be. They hated the sea and wanted off that boat from the second they been on it. And they were finally getting it!

That is...till Annabeth informed them that it wasn't Iceland. Their spirit came shattering down.

"How do you know?" Jason asked irked. He was still upset from there fight earlier, when Annabeth told him he was wrong about the direction they needed to go but didn't know the answer herself.

"Iceland is not that small, and it's not made up of smaller islands either."

She was right. Hazel cursed their luck as she gloomily looked onward on a tiny group of floating land.

"Let's settle there." Reyna stated. "We need off this damn boat."

Hazel nodded. She has gotten sick and vomited again earlier this morning. She was hoping that maybe standing on some solid ground would help her head and stomach. They landed into the sand of the beach, barely throwing down the anchor in time. They got off the ship and were greeted by some mean glares and questioning glances.

Long story short: they were in the Feraon Islands, which was directly 450 miles northwest of Iceland.

They left that same night, after getting some food and resources. It was a nice little place. It was a lot better then the boat and ocean, at least. The same one that Annabeth grabbed them all back kicking and screaming to. Hazel will never forgive her for that.

They sailed away at the direction of northwest for two days before they spot land again. Hazel had the night shift at the time, and instead of dancing like she did earlier, she went off and got the others. She didn't want to get happy over nothing again. She let Annabeth walk ahead and confirm the location before any of them dance and cheer.

After the celebration, the raced all over the boat to get ready for a smooth halt. Hazel didn't even feel sick that morning, the rush and excitement was too great. Sadly, it quickly died down when she stood in front of the waterfall.

Don't get her wrong. The gussfoll falls were a very beautiful sight that she could stare at all day, but the truth behind it ruined the sight for her. She could sense the power of the mist laying heavily and attract her straight off like a magnet once she stepped onto the soil. The water flowed beautifully and the sound was so peaceful, it made her want to lay down and take a nap, but the mysterious sovereignty that radiated off of it make her senses go hay wire. She stood there with the wind blowing onto the face and through her hair. She wrapped the coat around herself tighter, not liking the cold and how it burned her cheeks.

She was alone at the moment, knowing that Reyna and Jason would soon be joining her soon. They were setting up camp with Annabeth. Hazel shivered more at the cold, now worried that she wasn't really good enough for the job assigned to her by her father.

This is a dangerous, powerful place. Hazel has never been in an area with such heavy coverage. Something big was behind that fall, and she wasn't sure if she was prepared for it.

Hazel never unmasked the mist before, unless it was an illusion she created herself. It was a new challenge for her to conquer and it scared her shitless of what could go wrong. The mist was unpredictable, barely controllable, and very strong. Anything could happen.

Hazel shook her leg as she heard step approached her from behind. Reyna stood to her right and Jason to her left. They stared at the water falling majestically, creating a deep stream of a beautiful shade of blue in it's tracks. Above the water that bursted from underneath, was a flat plain of green grass. It was barely noticeable, it looked normal. Hazel predicted that was the area.

She felt Reyna shake from the cold beside her, blowing out a sign. It seemed as unreal as the mist's capabilities to Hazel. Reyna had always kept a strong poker face as she handle things as a leader. She was the Praetor back at Camp Juniper, which meant that she had to be strict and emotionless as she stood in her position. Hazel had always seemed her like that, like a true roman warrior and leader. It makes it hard to believe that the cold even effected her. She never left her guard down and never showed if anything bothered her, even back when Jason disappeared for six months. Because of the front she was so used to, Hazel had to kept reminding herself that Reyna was a human being too.

"Do you think it's here?" Jason asked.

"Yeah." Hazel answered.

"You sure you want to do this?" He asked again.

"I have too." She walked a bit forward, building herself up as much as possible.

She took a deep breath, trying to suck in as much air as she could. She always felt lightheaded after she did any kind of magic (and she had been lightheaded enough on this trip).

She closed her eyes and focused all her energy into the land. She felt her hands rise up towards it, like a preacher in church. She thought of the ground roaring upward-grass, soil, roots-into the sky, slowly peeling off like a stamp off paper. She visioned it rolling over like scooping up a scoop of ice cream but the image was blurry and she couldn't make out the city she was trying to find underneath. She lost the image and control and felt herself falling.

She opened her eyes to find herself on the ground. Jason's hand was on her shoulder and Reyna was looming over, looking for damage.

"You okay?" She asked.

Hazel realized she was breathing heavily, trying not to barf up her nonexistent breakfast. She turned to the water fall and found that the land above it seemed untouched.

"Nothing happened?" She squeaked.

"No." Jason answered. "Was something suppose to happen?"

Hazel didn't respond. With her new founded energy, she stood up on her own.

"Are you sure-?"

"Yes." She stated, already knowing what she was asking.

Jason backed up with Reyna. Hazel was even more determined this time. She was slightly insulted that she failed the first time. Yes, she was rusty, but she couldn't be that bad. She won't tolerant it. Especially when Nico and Percy depended on her.

She breathed in again, clearing her mind into nothingness before visioning the land on her own. It was crystal clear and she focused more on into the soil. The vision of darkness and dirt was soon changing into an earthquake like shake. She made the huge mass rise up as a whole, ripping itself from it's home and lifting it up till where she saw the sky underneath it. She looked down to find only more dirt.

She opened her eyes, sucking in air like a vacuum. She stumbled but managed to stay up on her feet. She was lightheaded again and sweaty. She cursed her luck out into the now blowing harder wind. She was sure that Jason and Reyna heard her, but she didn't care. She was embarrassed and disappointed in herself from her second failure.

"Hazel, you might need to rest a bit." Reyna subjected. "You've been sick a lot lately..."

Hazel's ears popped and her voice became hallow. She was able to barely get out her response. "I need to do this."

"Not if it's going to kill you." Jason stated. They held her gently by her arms and slowly moved her away from the fall. Her lifeless body let them drag her away, but her mind kept railing on her non-spottable errors.

She set her eyes on the decaying down water and it struck her.

She broke off their hold onto her, racing her way back to the fall. She ignored the calls shouting behind her, letting her stomping feet take over her weak ears. She skidded into a harsh stop, nearly falling into the water. She had to do this. She understood everything now. She could fix this. It was so simple.

She breathed in the salty air, feeling the breeze reawaken her nerves and open up her senses.

"Hazel!" Jason shouted for her.

"Hades will kill us if you work yourself to death!" Reyna called back.

Hazel ignored them as she felt her became into her element. She felt the mist's power refill her body with energy, making her adrenaline accelerate tenfold. Her driven trace for her mission motived her into her sudden action. She thought of seeing Nico again, her brother, and with Percy safe with him...

She glared down to the waterfall, now determined and flaming. She stretched out her hands, baring her fingers out like she was reaching for the magical kingdom. Suddenly, everything around her slowed. The air was almost perfect still. The wind transformed into glass and the water acted as if it turned to ice. Her held out breathing was the only rapid movement.

Her eyes darted straight to the waterfall in whole. The blue wall extended out for miles out, farther out from her point of view, curving around in waves in every directions. She felt no doubt or intimidation from the difficulty.

She glided her arm over to the direction, making both her hands into a fist. She felt her pulse race as the power roared through her veins. She then lifted up, like she was trying to reach the sky by holding up a ton. The water followed her gesture, flopping over itself in a blink of an eyes. The ends that were once inches above the small lake were now miles above the small girl below.

The sight room away her breath, but then her sight shift down from the sky and forward to what was in front of her. The waterfall acted as a curtain that hid the kingdom into the dark rock cave that it seemed to laid in. Hazel only realized it was a cave a few seconds after glazing upon it. Her first thought was that she was staring into the entree way of another universe.

She saw a tall black castle rising up from the small white roofs of homes that covered the green grassed land. The land crumbled down in front of her into a beach with the beautiful water from the fall collecting into an ocean. A long brown bridge branched off from the small huddle of homes, going over the water for forever. The picture before her was beautiful, amazing... She found it. She found them...

She felt two presences behind her. Jason and Reyna were at first coming in a quick paste but they stopped a few feet from her. She wondered if they were seeing what she was seeing. She couldn't look back and find out. She had to only look forward. She couldn't loose control over the mist now, not when she has broken it natural order of functioning. She had to keep it under her will, or the water would come crashing down, and all of this would have been for nothing.

She kept her eyes on the alternate world in front of her. She found it mind blowing, that it was supposedly real. It surely looked real, with even the smallest of details being lively. It was like she was actually there, standing on a far away rock in the ocean, glazing upon it.

She jumped as something bolted up from the water. She darted her eyes, hoping that her little flinch didn't cause her the control. She felt her eyes widen at the silhouette of a man from behind, seeing only his tan back and his dark hair.

She felt the gasp form inside her throat and held it back. Percy; it was him. She could tell from the intensity thickening behind her that they knew it too.

She began to smile. She was happy to see him. Yes, he couldn't see her, but it might that she was right and they found them. Thy reached the goal of the quest.

"PERCY!"

Hazel jumped from the sudden scream, accidentally opening her eyes.

She froze. Oh, no.

She still saw the same sight in front of her, even with clearer vision and more made out details she didn't notice before, but she knew that she just lost all control. She just let it all go, almost willing like. It was like she just let go of her steering wheel of her car, or to a loose rope holding up something. The damage now slowly coming.

She jumped again when she felt Jason slam pass her shoulder. He was trying to hold back a desperate Annabeth with Reyna. Hazel looked forwarded to see the sight of the kingdom blurring, almost melting, away. Percy never stirred from his spot, acting as if he was still just simply swimming in the ocean. He never heard Annabeth, who was still reaching toward the image like she need it to live.

"We have to get out of here!" Hazel ordered. "NOW!"

They didn't question her. Reyna picked Annabeth against her will and ran off with Jason. Hazel dashed behind then, making sure they got out first. They ran away from the cave and suddenly heard the sound of something very heavy falling through air. Hazel watched as Jason and Reyna looked up and stared in horror from what was above. Hazel ushered them forward. She didn't need to look up to see what was happening.

They all ran as fast as they could for the ship. Hazel was hoping that the distance was good enough for safety but she wasn't sure and didn't have time to make sure.

It happened before any of then had time to look back and see it. The earth under there feet shook so violently, it caused them to all face plant down into the dirt. The ground vibrated so wildly that it cause small little Hazel to even bounce back up a few inches, like a ball. She dug her nails into the soil beneath her and shivered her way to look behind her. Her scream got caught in her throat as she watched the waves of water crash down and rise back up from the impact. The waves were also rushing right towards them at lighting speed.

"RUN!" Hazel yelled up towards the group as the earth still shook. They all got up and dashed for it but it all happened it slow motion. They made no progress. Hazel felt the water hit her with a powerful force and her last sight was being under the crystal blue water. Then it was all black.

{...}

Hazel woke up on her assigned bed on the ship. She realized where she was and flinched waked and out of the bed. She found that to be a mistake soon when she stood. Her head swirled around and around and she felt her body hit the ground without even realizing that she was falling in the first place.

She hit the wood and felt the pain right away. She groaned and cursed in a mutter. She blinked to clear her vision as her head kept spinning. She saw her bed and began to try to stand again till she fall again and began to feel sick. She let out a louder groan, and began to crawl over to the bed.

She realized she having trouble breathing soon, having the strangest scent of sea water burning her nose hairs in her nostrils. Gods, she hated the sea.

It wasn't till after she crawled onto the crazy looking bed and settled down when she finally heard the screaming. She blinked as she tried to hear the words over her laboring breathing.

"WHAT WAS I SUPPOSE TO DO?! NOTHING?!"

"YOU SHOULD'VE STAY AT THE CAMP SIGHT! THERE WAS A REASON WHY WE LEFT YOU THERE!"

"WHY? BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO FIND HIM?! BECAUSE YOU DON'T CARE AND JUST WANT TO GO HOME?! YOU LEFT ME THERE SO YOU COULD LEAVE HIM BEHIND!"

"NO! BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE!"

"ENOUGH!" Jason cried. Hazel couldn't really comprehend that the other two voices were Annabeth's and Reyna's. Both of them were way too bitter and angry.

"None of this arguing is going to help us. It's not going to help Hazel get better either. So shut up, and listen." Hazel felt her mind wondering off, off into sleep. Her eye lids were heavy and she felt so comfy on the bed. She was out like a light when Jason starting talking about the plan for her tomorrow.

{...}

Hazel slept through three days. She didn't wake up fully till the fourth day, finding it to be 2:30 at night. She felt terrible, even worse then before. She laid there and wondered what the hell happened till she recalled everything up to that moment.

She ached all over and her throat burned. Her head was no longer blurry but she still felt awful. She wasn't comfortable in anyway possible, no matter what position she shifted herself in. She was unbelievably cold, like her bones where made of ice. She wanted to cry and then felt annoyed with her moody self.

She moved over to her stomach and tried to sleep again, but it never came. She stayed up till the sunlight shining through her window made it impossible for her to sleep anymore. She soon heard someone open her bedroom door and walk over to her bed.

A hand lifted her mass of curly hair. She saw Reyna right away.

"You're up!" She smiled.

"Kill me, please." She begged her.

"Sorry." Reyna shrugged. "Come on, let's see if you can sit up."

It turned out that that was all she could do for the next two days. She tried to stand and walk but soon get tired and lightheaded. She drunk some nectar which helped a bit but most of the time she just couldn't function probably without having to rest.

The third day rolled away and she felt mostly normal. She felt as close to normal as she's been during her whole time on the boat. She could walk and run without feeling winded and could stay up for longer then an hour. She told Jason she was ready for the plan that early afternoon. After some protests from everyone, she was finally allowed to.

The plan was for Hazel to do what she did before, which should be easier for her now, since she knew what she was doing this time. The rest of them were going to stay on the deck of the boat and watch her from a distance. That way they can both make sure she's fine and not distract her.

They did so later on that day, into the evening. Hazel when out there in a rain jacket and a flashlight. She came up to the falls and thoughts of what to do again. She had a different theory on how to move the curtain of water, assuming that it was safer then what she had done before. She told the others about it, and they seemed to be on her side with it.

She stood there for a few moments again, looking around to make sure nothing had change dramatically from the last encounter. Once she decided so, she turned back to the boat and waved. Her friends waved back and gave her a thumbs up for good luck. She smiled and turned back.

She wasn't as nervous as before, but whenever she thought of what was behind the water made her jittery. The group just wanted to see if she could do it again before the put the real plan into action. They needed proof that she was strong enough to do this. It was reasonable to her; she needed to know so too.

She stared at the fall, studying the small drops of water jumping off the decaying streams and the new lovely shade of blue that shined in the moonlight. It all slowly slowed down again, like last time, and she focused on the middle section of the falls. A large, sharply pointed rock broke through the water. She decided that to be her starting point.

She reached out her hands again and felt the power of the mist infected itself into her body. She breathed in the scent of salt as she waved her arms to her side in a slow, steady manner. The water followed her example and worked as a curtain, swiping to the sides and opening up for the beginning of the show.

She smirked at how it worked perfectly- smooth and wistful- and them almost sobbed at the act before her.

The sight if the beautiful kingdom that she had dreamed and thought about for the pass healing week has became the sight of war.

It was almost morning there, the sky becoming a purple and pink mixture, and Hazel found it to be the only beautiful feature in the sight. Everything else was hellish and terrible.

The kingdom was at war, or an invasion. The once peaceful village was now chaotic with soldiers running around and fighting and killing other soldier as woman and children ran away from the battles, screaming and scared for their lives. More of the invaders came racing in on the endless bridge over the ocean and barged into the village. There were huge holes where the earth was missing from the ground and there were a lot of men jumping down from the taller homes with swords and arrows. Both sides looked too similar to each other for her to make them apart, which made it even harder to tell who was winning.

"Oh my god!" She felt herself shout in surprise. Fighting was everywhere. Death was everywhere-yet no blood was present. It set her off to where she didn't know how to act. It was a different war then she was used to, and that was the most frighting part of all.

She heard footsteps behind her in a very paste. She turned to find her friends close by. The waves suddenly became heavier and she struggled to keep the apart.

She had to get in there. Her brother was in there, fighting and maybe even dead...

It was enough the make her charged forward before she felt Jason take her by the shoulders and pull her back. It broke off her contraction and the waves broke from her power. Reyna joined Jason on taking Hazel down as the wave came together again. The waves did not form this time, luckily, but she was still very angry from the fact they just lost there entree way into aiding her brother and friend.

"We have to go in there!" She fought against there grasps.

"They're take us as intruders." Jason informed her in a mean tone. "Besides, we don't know what's going on. We be barging into something that will get us all killed."

Hazel stopped her fighting and glared at them all. She was so angry with them, but they were right.

"Fine." She hissed at them. "Then what do we do? Just sit here and act like we never saw anything? Just go home and call the quest off while Nico and Percy die?"

"We stick to the original plan." Jason hissed back. "But we wear our armor when we go in there. If they're not fighting, we head for the castle. If Nico is really the King as Hades said, then he should be easy to find and able to explain everything. With Percy, safe and sound, hopefully." He pointed the last sentence to Annabeth.

"So we do nothing for now?" She snapped.

"We have no other choose." Reyna took her shoulder. "They'll be fine Hazel. They're both strong warriors. We'll help them in everyday we can once we get in there."

"We just have to wait." Jason added on.

Hazel looked at all of them, her eyes in a narrow glare, then she looked back to the fall. She understood, and agreed, she just didn't like it. At all.

She nodded finally. As long as she saw her brother and friend alive again, she'll wait forever.

{...}

I'm sorry it took so long to update. I had AP review, Prom, and everything else these pass two weeks, so I haven't had much time to do this chapter, but I finally got it done.

Also, the time in Oltre Malavita is constantly changing. Our mortal days are 24 hours long, right? That never changes, right? It's the opposite in OM. The amount of hours in the days are never the same. So really, one day can be about 18 hours but the next can be 5 hours. It makes the measurement of the time there impossible. That's why Nico and Percy keep record of how many days they spend there, and put the amount of days into mortal world terms. A day there can be only 6 hours but they still count it as a day. That's whys They have been there for so long. When really, they have only been absent from the mortal world in almost a month.

Makes sense? I've tried my best to explain.

Also, the smit chapter is not next but it's the one after the next. So chapter 16 is when this will be a m rated story.

Anyway, thanks for reading.


	15. Chapter 15

Nico was in the middle of eating an apple when he heard a shout.

"MY LORD!"

He recognized the voice to be Bradshaw's immediately. He swirled around from where he stood, feeling as if he was about to get yelled at for behaving in un-kingly like manner.

The shout repeated itself and Nico called back. "Bradshaw?!"

Nico was in the kitchen for a midnight snack, leaving Percy cutely asleep. He was planning in returning to him if his main general did not jump out of the darkness and grabbed his arm.

"Come quick! Make haste!" He pulled the boy along as they dashed up the stairs.

Nico never really seen any other emotion from his right hand man other then strict. Now he could see the fear in the manner he walked and from the odd look in his lifeless eyes.

Nico followed him up the the top balcony, breathing heavily after the long run. He knew he look stupid, being in his pjs and robe, but Bradshaw and the four other top generals didn't seem to mind. They barely saw him as they lean over the railing, scowling and cursing. Nico knew what the problem was then. He had been waiting for it for a long time.

He joined the men and saw that, far out into the distance where the crowd barely developed from the still dark horizon, the large army of tyrants marched forwards from there spot on the wide wood bridge. Nico scowled himself.

"They're coming." One stated. "I thought they would come come from the main land in the east."

Nico nodded in agreement with him. For the past few decades, these six men have spend countless hours, trying to figure out the perfect plan on how to make this supposedly surprise attack the last invasion that Oltre Malavita ever faced. They have loomed over the map of their homeland and brainstormed how to fully disable the enemy in every ability they had. The goal to cut them off at the knees and slowly slice them onward until they were completely finished and done for. It was mutual knowledge among all of them that this would be the final attempt made by the tyrants to take over the land. The motivation and cause for this was still unknown to them, but so were most things they should know about them.

The cluelessness still didn't effect their need to finish the chaos on their hands. Nico had spent days looking over this map, along with studying ancient warfare strategies, to find the perfect solution to the much need resolved problem.

The king and his men had created a three stage elimination scheme to exclude the hostile army of any powerful advances after each stage, starting from the very entree of the land's borderline. The design was for one use only: to fully crumple and vanquish the enemy.

"Sound the alarm." Nico ordered. "Tell the men to be like shadows-silent. We don't want to give them any insight of whats coming." Bradshaw nodded and than ran out to do his order.

The other generals were soon gone as well, going off to prepare for soon upcoming battle. All the soldiers knew what to do. The generals have been notifying and assigning them duties that they were held responsible for a long time now. They knew the land and where to hide. They were glorious fighters, trained by the best. Nico had a strong pride and faith in his men, but the sight seemed to stiff every once of hope he had for everything that was about to happen and everyone about to be involved in it.

A guard soon came up to him and strapped on his armor for him. He had his bronze and golden on his chest; he hope it would protect him enough. He held on his black helmet with his hand, letting it clang softly next to one of his two swords that were strapped to his waist by his leg linings.

He glazed out into the battle seem again. The sky was still in a mixture of light colors. The sun was not ready to be up and shining on this death filled morning. The tyrants were closer now, near to the point where he could almost make out all the mixed match of clothing and different facial physicals they all had. He could even see the Mongol's yellow, snake like eyes from where he stood.

He hated the Mongol with a flaming desire. He could feel the fire burn through his whole body and soul whenever he merely thought about him. He never wanted to tear anyone apart before, but he was more then willing to make an exception for the tyrant.

He was one of the three who almost destroyed him when Nico was freshly titled king. It was such a overwhelming thing to observed all at first. Bradshaw told him everything within the same hour of just telling him his name. His life literally change in a matter of hours.

Yes, it was for the absolute better but it still scared the shit out of him at first. Seriously, did these people really think he could be lead anything? He never led anything in his life and now he was suppose to be a king to all these people... It freaked him out.

It was later that same day, when he finally got some privacy, when he decided to maybe check for an exit, just in case of emergencies. He shadow traveled himself outside, to the garden in front of the back entree of the castle. He made sure to stay in the shadows and seemed as unseen as possible, at least till he got to the border line.

He passed it and entered into the grassland, wondering how he got into the mysterious land in the first place. He wondered out into that plain for what felt like centuries. He didn't find nothing but empty grass and dirt.

He didn't know how they passed him. How they saw him but he didn't see them. He just recalled the pain he felt when a lighting like shock of black poison shot up his leg from the back of his knee. He first thought his whole leg went numb with a dull sting. Then it grew into a flesh burning and life destroying pain that he only experience once before, down in Hell.

He fell to the ground instantly. He thought of standing back up was wiped away when his mind started to viciously throb. His mind melted down to his eyes, making his vision blurry with white. He could even scream from the pain that racked his body like it did before when he encountered with the goddess of pain. His chest rose in fast random jumps, making his breathing by small douses extremely afflictive. He couldn't feel the ground underneath him or the wind blowing on his body. All he felt was his worse nightmare come to life again.

He could barely make out there faces at first. He could sense the warmth of their breath and the nearness of their hands and feet. He couldn't heard over the ringing in his ears, but he knew these people were not his friends.

Suddenly he was lifted up and positioned vertically again. It caused his brain to throb more and his breathing thicken, like he was trying to inhale sand. He still couldn't fully make out the person but the voice was forever trapped inside his mind.

"So much for the Son of Hades." The terrible sound creaked. "Worthless shit."

Along with the pain, anger rose inside his veins, making his vision red. It was one of the first real mean encounter he had in a long time. He wasn't fond of it.

He felt for his sword but found it to be a sense. He would have normally began to cuss himself out but his body began to shake out of misery, almost asking for some kind of relief before he blacked out. His vision started to decay, and Nico knew he had to stop this now or they would finish him off for good.

He felt the tightness of the man's hold on him increase. His vision clear to a settle blur which helped him focused. He imaged the ground he was once on. The green grass a few inches under his feet which were giving over them. He saw it ripped apart by a huge forming scar of pure darkness that would allow a dead Spartan solider to rise above it and attack.

He felt himself be dropped. He got what he wanted.

He opened his eyes to the soldier who was waiting for his commands. Nico ordered him to attack and destroy the enemy. He followed where his finger pointed and saw that there were three very large ghost men. The one with the ratchet like clothing and nearly hidden face pulled out his sword. The two other followed. The four began to fight then.

Nico hopped himself his way out of the middle of them which didn't help him much since he was still in great pain. He barely felt his arm enough to move it and reach down to his left leg.

It was covered it blood. The cut extended from below his bottom to down to his ankle. He felt the back of his knee and discovered the cut was at it's deepest point there. He almost cried when he touched it, with the resolve being him shouting out in agony.

He didn't see the Mongol somehow pass his soldier and make his way to him. He recalled hearing thumbing, like footsteps, but he didn't realize it at first till the tyrant cut his other leg down. He screamed out of the new rush of pain overwhelming his body. He felt tears formed in his eyes as he begin to feel his skin burn and flesh destroyed.

He opened his eyes to him, the Mongol, and has hated that face till now. He has loathed those green, almost yellow, eyes glaring down to him with that evil smirk of satisfaction that him struggling and in pain.

The tyrant was about to strike again, smiling even more. Nico stiffly tried to crawl away, praying to his father for any kind of saving grace. The mongol strike down on him, ready to stab him in the stomach when Nico leaped to his side.

He missed him by some small inches. The sword point stabbed the ground instead, Nico was now leaning over his side, looking up to his attacker through the small tousles of his hair. He saw the merciless rage in his eyes as he quickly took his sword again and aimed for him again. This time, with a lot more force.

His body weight on his two injured legs caused him to whined out in pain. His head was starting to swirl around, making his vision darken. He was shaking, feeling the sudden decrease of his body temperature. He finally blinked his tears out, letting them fall as the final realization of the end of his life came upon him. He never came this close to death before, and he had lived with the death to where they were apart of him.

He didn't die. He was lucky enough to see his skeleton solider slice through the Mongol before he ended Nico's life for good. He even slightly saw the skeleton fall down and dissolve back into the underworld and watch as a guard from the castle approach over his bloody body and call for the others. He woke up on a small medic bed and stayed there for three days, barely eating the ambrosia they made him nibble and chug down the nectar they spin feed him. He knew he was lucky to be alive, even in those three days where he was still in excruciating pain. It ungodly hurt just to walk, and it scared him. He was afraid he would never be the same again, that he was still at the very close chance of dying.

He felt so damn helpless on that ground, wiggling and even fucking crying as he was so close to death. He felt like a mouse underneath a snake, knowing that his life was over. He hated that damn Mongol for making him feel that way: defenseless, vulnerable... He swore to himself that he will make the tyrant pay for it.

All his life, Nico has kept a strong mask on. He made sure his weaknesses were stored away and remained unseen by all means. He refused to be weak, and if he was, he refused to show it even more. And that damn ghost broke his mask, his self devoted oath. He was not an invalid human but the very opposite, and he refused for that damn Mongol to make him the polar now.

But what made him more enraged by it all was the fact that he wanted to do it to his people. That will not be accepted in his kingdom. He saw some of his citizens suffer his same struggle and meant their destined faith from it. Some never came back.

He would end that _now_.

He watched as the soldiers quietly gather out into their positions and hiding spots. He watch as the woman and children make their way into there safety areas. Some even ran up to the castle doors and ask to hide in there. They let them in, of course, and hid them in a far off area. Nico watched it all with an odd feeling in his stomach. He didn't know if it was good or bad.

His mind wondered back to Percy, as he glanced at the now slowly rising and peeking sun. He hoped that his lover would stay in his chamber. He had told him about his emotions about him fighting, and hoped it got through to him, but you never knew with the son of Poseidon. The boy was so brilliant, yet so aggravating in the most lovable way.

He watched the almost completely silent movement of the citizens. The soldiers chased around, covering up the secret spots and handing out weapons and armor as fast as possible. They all have been preparing for today, and they all knew that it wouldn't happen again. The feeling in Nico's stomach either worsen or enlighten. He still couldn't tell which.

The tyrants marched there way to the near entering of the kingdom limits, only off by ten yards. Nico looked around his sections. The archers were there, selectively stationed, all four dozens of them. He peered into the small spaces between the stores and shops, barely seeing any kind of form in armor in there at all, which is what he wanted. He finally lean over the railing slightly to make eye contact with the two generals on each side with there own selected army. They were ready. Now they just needed to wait.

The tyrants marched forward at a loud, rapid paste. They were in very poorly together lines, like another invasion they were expecting to just jump into. He glared down at the main leading horseman. His yellow eyes stayed forward, not exactly reaching into his. He hated that damn Mongol. He would make him pay for causing him and his people great pain.

He took a few steps back from the railing, feeling himself be hidden and cast over by the shadows. He watched as the tyrants carefully cross onto the soil earth from the wooden bridge. He grinned at the first steps of the Mongol onto his land, waltzing on his horse like it was his own.

His grin widen when his best archer stood and shot at the top general of the tyrants army. The arrow when through his head and he dissolved into dust before hitting the ground. The battle began then.

The archers and spear throwers of the tyrant were at a disadvantage while his first stage army thrived upon them. As the enemy tried to gather there own weapons to fight, most of them were behind, farther out on the bridge where their arrows flew to short and low to reach impact on his men who stood on top of tall buildings. They used the thick stone edging as there shields as they shot down dozens of men. Most of the enemy fell into the water and, after a good period of time, didn't return.

It was a long time before the first surviving soldier finally bursted through the scheme, with more following behind him but not as many as there should be. Nico counted as many as he could, adding it up to be about 90 men to make it through out of the about 200 men they had. Yes, a dozen were left behind to fight on, but there were more of his men, and they were being shot down like flys and not coming back fast enough.

The men rode on, racing there way over to the castle. The Mongol made his way to the front. He held his beastly sword high above as he cried out a command and charged on. His men responded with cries of there own. Nico felt himself smirk.

They were coming close now, gaining speed as they reach the second stage. Nico glared down to the Mongol who had apparently finally noticed him on his balcony. The bastard just about glared back till his army started to fall apart.

They passed the opening into the main section of the main street and the earth disappeared under their feet, making a huge chuck of the enemy just drop out and disappear. The men had fallen down an 9 foot deep hole. It took them all by surprised, stopping to stare and try to help the men but the Mongol called them away and forward.

Nico smiled more as they followed the order. They quickly raced onward, and got the surprised of there after lives.

The men on the enemy side were caught off guard completely were they hear the strange, powerful screaming of his men who leaped out of their shadows and trapped them with their six foot leg spears. Only a few from up front who merely escape the attack by a few feet were able to dodge the surprise, along with some more who were able to crawl their way from the back and race forward with the rest.

The Mongol, still on his horse and sword in his hand, made a very fast paste to the entree way of the castle, passing the gates without any guards present to stop them. Nico stepped out of his shadow and came to glance around his battle ground plan scheme. Stage one was still in use but not in any bad shape. Stage two was still raging on but the men did go back to the holes and killed the fallen on there like they were ordered to. All that was left was stage three which will end this fight once and for all.

The tyrants rode through the path and left their horse's hooves carry them to the blank area in front of the entree of the castle. Nico glanced to the sides of the hill that the castle sat on to make sure that everything was in line. Nico turned back his attendant to the yellow eyed demon below and glared.

The Mongol made eye contact with him and smirked with evil sinisterness oozing out from between his yellow teeth. Nico felt the rage inside of him increase with disgust and hatred. He gripped the railing with a stone hard hand. The other was safely clasped over his black sword.

The Mongol began to laugh loudly, his men following his lead. There was only about a quarter left of the original, and he predicted that amount which also went right along with the plan.

He wanted the design to be set up to make like it seem like it was suppose to be a depressed effect from his people. He wanted it to appear to the Mongol and the tyrants like Oltre Malavita people were weak and almost defenseless, almost vulnerable. He wanted the Mongol to think that they were superior to Nico, and taking his kingdom would be easy, even with the first two surprise attacks that he supposedly think he overcame nicely. Nico glared down with the idea of him thinking so, but then smirked when he saw the golden opportunity arrival.

It was when they were laughing and the Mongol was still smirking up at him with glowing yellow eyes that were flamed by self praising. He knew he was about to tease, to push Nico. That's when he granted out the order.

"_Attacco_!"

A frightening roar came strongly out from both sides of the saw the tyrants face both direction in an attack position when his two army appeared out of the side and race dead on for the attack. The front doors of the castle bursted open with such force, it shook Nico place on the balcony up above. More soldiers came through the giant doors and attacked the small group dead on.

The fighting raged on with equal success on each side. Nico was expecting an immediate defeat with a very gruesome end for the tyrants, but they have proven again that they very skillful fighters and were able to hold themselves up again his men. He was about to get irritated from the result he was not planning on having. The battle below was simply a huge mod of black armor surrounding and trying to kill this multicolor color circle in the exact middle.

He gritted his teeth down to where he almost broke a tooth when he saw the Mongol try to race through his wall of soldiers and broke through it. Those yellow eyes beamed up to his instance glare. The mongol let out a wild scream in victory.

Nico was outrage as he growled down to the enemy. He was not going to take this; this was completely unacceptable. He was not going to let this inspiring uprise be a comeback that makes the dreadful war continue. And he knew exactly what to do to end it flawlessly.

Nico was totally caught off guard when, as he slide out his sword and turn to make his way down to the battle ground, he heard the clang that formed into the air when a knife flew out of the castles doors and nearly cut the Mongol's shoulder. Nico turned back in time to see the ghost's image wavered for a moment, but once again put together, he faced his competitor and growled.

The battle of ghosts rained on behind them, unnoticeable to what was happening in front of them. Nico stood in his place, feeling the firm stillness conquered the air that the king, the Mongol, and the fighter shared.

He watched as his worse nightmare came to life in the fight of the dead.

Time slowed into an almost complete stop. Nico's mind became linear to the same paste, but his heart rebelled against it all and accelerated to an implausible velocity. He watched as the fighter, who was dressed in black silk clothing and bronze armor, ran out and met the Mongol head on with a powerful swing of his sword.

_Riptide_. His Percy...

Nico froze down to the bone in the cold air. He watched his green eyed prince fight the yellow eyed devil with all his might. Their swords clang and sliced together with sharp vibrations being ripped into the air. Within just minutes into the fights, both of them men were sweating and wearying down. Percy kept going for the Mongol's legs and knees, trying to take down the beast that was two feet taller and triple his own body mass down low. The Mongol was just as sneaky and good as he was though, with swift, narrow swipes of his giant sword.

Nico watched as the two squirreled about all over the battle, paralyzed to all his nerves. He watched helplessly as Percy quickly reacted to the forceful blows that the mongol delivered as the demigod's back was turned as he ran up the steps. Percy noticed, like Nico did, that the Mongol was slow sudden changes in directions. He was also slow whenever Percy slipped into a group of ghost soldiers, having to take a minute to find the boy.

Nico watched the fight with his heart on the edge of a nervous break down. It was the only thing he could feel as he watched the two warrior bashed out. He didn't yelp when Percy cut the Mongol's arm. He didn't wince when the Mongol nearly chopped Percy's arm off if he didn't dodge right at the last second. He just stood there in absolute shock and fear.

His mind numbing trance didn't break till he saw Percy being caught off guard while blocking himself. He was out handed by the Mongol, Riptide being flung out of his hand and flying over the crowd of soldiers. Percy was then cut along his chest, his armor clinging to the attack and rattling Percy enough to throw him off balance. It was easy then for the Mongol to trip him, slamming him into the ground, and plant his foot onto his chest.

Nico flinched at the sight Percy being crushed under so much weight, almost hearing the sound of his ribs shattering underneath. His Sea Prince cried out in pain, his beautiful eyes wide from beneath his hair and his veins visible in his neck.

Nico felt the anger finally devour his mind and body. His numbness vanished and call he could see was red.

The Mongol took his long, silver sword and swept it across Percy right side, leaving a single blood red line from his wrist to his shoulder.

Nico broke then. He felt the shadows surround and take whole of him as he visioned the space between Percy and the beast. He opened his eyes to the brighting image of the mongol about to stab his sword downward. Nico took his own black sword and cut him off in a counterattack. He was taken off guard, the fact printed onto his face, and Nico took it as his chance for revenge.

The damn bastard and almost kill him and just about destroy his people and kingdom, but he _will not_ hurt his Percy.

Nico sliced his blade across the Mongol's unprotected chest. He could tell by how much force he had to put into his swing that it was deep.

The Mongol gasped out in pain but it delay his reaction, which didn't allow Nico to make another mark. Nico blocked the attack and they went at it for a long time, with mean powerful swings and sneaky attacks.

Nico went for anything that was open on the Mongol's body. He was furious at the bastard and he would not allow for him to be alive in the end of all of this. He was going straight to hell. _And staying there._

He was able to cut him from his waist down to a bit above his grind (he missed but he was close), and ran him into the statue without knowing giving him a small chance of making a long red line form on his face (that time he didn't miss). But Nico's raging fight of glory faded out, making him very tired very quickly. He became sloppy and unbalanced. With that, the Mongol found his opportunity to trick him and got him to turn around.

Nico then experienced the pain from the now even weaken back of the knee. He stumbled for a few steps before loosing balance and falling over, landing on his hands. His sword was dropped and was kicked away before he could grasp it again. His vision blurred again, but he still felt the present of the Mongol near his, at the side of his face to be exact.

He blinked back to a decently clear vision before tremblingly looking up to find him smirking down at him. The pain soon became to great for him and he finally let himself drop down onto the dirt. He whined as his own pulse pumping cause him extreme pain, but it wasn't too great to feel the thin sharp side of the blade poke the middle of his neck.

He knew what this meant, and flinch more when it went away.

_Zeus_, _Poseidon...Father, please let Percy live... Please just save Percy._

He felt a year form and run down his cheek as the Mongol suddenly shout out in pain. Nico opened his eyes in shock, and looked over the find the Mongol on the ground off by him, holding his very bloody shoulder. The Mongol stood to one of his knees and glared back behind him. Nico then saw the blood covered blade slightly passed his head on the ground. Riptide.

Once he turned back, the Mongol was gone, leaving a spotted trail of blood in his awake.

Nico understood what was happening instantly. The pain that thrived through his body and devoured it subsided and Nico scattered back to his feet. The world swirled around him and he was lightheaded, but he focused and was able to find some order in the chaos and was able to find a safe way through the battle. He ran up the steps, following the blood spots over lapping together.

He ran through the main hall, noticing a bent shield casted off to the side, and made it up the steps he took earlier to the balcony. He noticed how much more blood there was and he raced up the steps faster. He took out his other sword, the one he found in the woods, and carefully stepped into the case. He found it to be empty with the sound of grunts and yells of anger echoing off the walls.

Nico rushed to room, pushing back the thought of the pain as much as possible. He skidded into the find the Mongol chasing Percy around it his shoulder splattering blood everywhere. Percy's arm was bloody as well, the sight making Nico ill and madly delirious, and barely able to defend himself as he shakily held up Riptide that has apparently returned to him already.

The Mongol didn't noticed his entree as he prepared the swing. Nico realized the tactic too late. The Mongol swung his sword and somehow flung Percy to the other side of the room. Nico gritted his teeth in anger and dashed for the Mongol's turned back, ripping another deep cut into the death flesh.

He wondered secretly how the bastard wasn't dead yet, but moved on from it. The Mongol and Nico went at it for a while before Nico stepped back and almost fall from the spring of pain that bounced from the back of his knee. The Mongol saw this and took it as his opportunity to dis hand him. Nico's second and last sword went flying out of his hand again, and the Mongol shoved him against the wall.

Nico thought that he the pain he had back with his first encounter with the Mongol and his tyrants was the climax of what there was to the hurtful experience. He was proven wrong, so deeply wrong, in that moment as he was lifted up and shoved with the blade if the sword.

Nico's scream was nonexistent, with the skin on his chest feeling as if it was burning him alive. The sword was like a scourging flame that burnt through his armor and into his skin. His nerves were being electrified and his veins were being shot. He couldn't began to describe how he felt as he struggle against the wall. He desperately thought or looked for a way to be free from the agony. What hurt the most was his nonexistent escape.

He was about to cry when he suddenly felt something wet under his feet. He opened his eyes to the sight of the Mongol standing knee deep in water. Nico looked over the confused ghost and saw something that he hadn't seen in such a long time.

Standing there, with powerful waves of water swiftly forming into circles around the outside of the castle, was his hero, Percy Jackson. Nico had realized then what was happening around him. The Mongol removed his sword from his chest letting his body into the slowly rising water. Nico watched as the Mongol start to shake as he slowly made his into his knees. Nico realized he was in pain, which seemed to be increasing along with the paste and force of the wind and the amount and power of the water.

Nico stood to the best his ability, but he didn't know what else to do. He was literally standing in the middle of eye of the hurricane that Percy was forming.

Nico darted his eyes to the boy across the room, who held his hands out as his savage filled eyes glared down to the Mongol. The hurricane became stronger with each minute, and all Nico did was watch the two men. One f them were dying, and the other was killing him without touching, or even trying, to do so.

The Mongol was barely able to stand while slouching, much less hold up his wicked sword. Percy took the waves behind him and command them to reach out and grasped around the Mongol. Nico watched in almost horror as the water flung him out of the open balcony and into the fierce swirling of water. Nico could hear the man screaming.

Nico tried to walk over to his hero who still had that angry expression that scared him shitless, but his legs betrayed him and he fell down into the high water. Nico, as he floating there in the cold water, thought that this was really his end. He was in too much pain to do anything else, till the water decayed down and he could touch the title floor again.

Once the water was gone, and he could breath the air again, he shifted stiffly over to his back and gasped. He was staring at the ceiling when Percy invaded his sight. Nico would have normally grin ear to ear but he couldn't feel any part of his body, much less his face or lips, which was instantly kissed by the warrior.

Percy looked so frighten, it almost broke Nico's heart. "Are you okay?" He asked in a shaken voice. "Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere." He muttered out with an airy tone.

Percy's face sunk even more. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Nico tried to smile.

"It was your fight."

"You kicked his ass though." Nico was trying his best for Percy. That's all he cared about: his Percy.

The Lovely Pearl softly lifted his head and settled it into his lap. "Where did he cut you?"

"Back of my knee." Nico heaved "Twice now. It hurts, but I'll be alright. You?"

"The water healed me." Percy stated. Nico glanced to his arm which looked as if it was never harmed in the first place. He noticed how the older boy glanced down to his chest and nearly vomited from the sight. Nico ignored it for the time being.

Percy looked down at his with guilt and sadness. Nico didn't want that. He couldn't let Percy go back to that.

"I love you." Nico choked out.

"I love you too." Percy said back as the sound of feet running up the steps. Nico looked down to find Percy's hand tightly gripped by his.

"Stay with me." Nico begged.

"Always." Percy said as the medical nurses and doctors arrive and began to work on him. Nico blinked a few time before looking up to one of the nurses. The spirit nodded and Nico let himself fade out into blissful rest.

{...}

Sorry it took a while to update... Again...

Hope you liked the chapter. It was fun writing it. The next one will be extremely long so it might be longer for the next update.

Also, I have made a mistake on the last Author Note. I had stated that the 16 chp. Be the smut chapter and that is when the story will be changed from rated t to m. It's actually chapter 17. I'm sorry for the confusion. I messed up and take full blame for it. Sorry.

Thanks again. Please review.


	16. Chapter 16

Reyna stood out on the deck of the ship, wondering to herself of how the hell she got to this position in her life. She wasn't sure if it was good or bad, and she knew that she would probably never know, but she still wondered over the case time to time.

The cold breeze softly gracing her face made it easy to clear he mind of all other things. The blue sky was growing dark, turing all the other colors of everything change, darkening the hue just a bit. She found the scenery beautiful, and was very reluctant on leaving it.

Tonight is when they would take the plan into action and the result of it were unpredictable.

It has been almost a full 24 hours after the invasion of the kingdom, or that's what the four of them thought. A part of Reyna still shivered from the sight, along with her feeling of coldness in the icy breeze. She had always been involved in any kind of attack, rather she was on defense or offense. She never watched one from the outside point of view, and she didn't realize that till then. It was an odd experience, making her stand there, gawking in shock, and thinking that she took part in something like that. Something so evil and merciless looking. It made her sick to her stomach yet with some deafened rage and pride rising inside her. She always had a reason for fighting; she made sure of it.

She fiddled with the loose string off the sleeve of her light, wind breaker jacket. She glanced down to the wooden floor of the deck. She was so sick of the sea. She had enough of the sea and it's constantly changing moods. She always preferred air because of it. Yes, Jupiter was just as bipolar as Neptune, if not more, but she felt safer in the steady forward air then the unstable waters of the sea that was filled with witches and pirates and unpredictable dangers. Her mind started to wonder back before she blinked it off.

She breathed in the salty air as she looked off to the beach. A tall figure stood, pointing above the sand in a mix of coated bronze and lighting white blonde. Jason looked up to her and waved. Reyna nodded back and looked away.

She remembered how her heart used to flattered at the slightest look from those electric blue eyes that shined the most out of the sight she viewed. It became her favorite color, and was so for the longest time. That is, till the hue darken down into a stormy grey.

She scowled at herself again. She was getting really tired of her mind often going back to those irises and to the other blonde that own them. She was tired of being confused on her abnormal and too affective interest in her friend. She was so sure, at one point, earlier on, that she was as straight as the air and it's linear winds. Now, she found herself bent and swirled around like the curves of the waves of the sea. She hated the sea more for it.

Reyna never had a concern about her sexuality; she never really question it since it was common. Heterosexuality was the norm in society, even back on Circe's island. Yes, the swore off men, but no one ever said anything about girls because no one thought of it. And that included Reyna herself.

She never judged those who were different. She just never considered it for herself. She was set on-had it printed into her mind-that she was straight. She mainly thought it because she found men attractive. She had a crush on Jason for the longest time, and then a bounce back with her stupid emotions when Percy waltz in. Then she met Annabeth, and everything stayed the same.

That's what threw her off the most. With her pass somewhat alive, mainly one sided love life, she had been attractive right away. She was blown away with Jason with his sovereign attitude yet fair nature within seconds of their first real encounter. Percy made her curious, with his mysterious past and all, and she felt like she was somewhat not alone with him, which is what she wanted most at that point of time. And when Annabeth came into the seem with everyone else, she didn't mind or bat an eye.

Maybe she was too focused on Piper and Jason to realize it. Maybe the fact that Percy and her were madly in love together caused Reyna to turn away. Or just the fact that she thought she was straight. Maybe all of the above.

It all began when the perfect moved to New Rome. She was informed a day before their arrival that she "needed to be prepared for anything". That is what Jason warned her, that night before when he arrived back from camp. He talked as if it was a monster instead of the two heroes they knew and loved. Reyna thought he was being to cautious, which the son of Juniper was known for. It was just Percy and Annabeth.

She recalled the next day, when Reyna and him were off to visit them when he finally told her of what happened. She didn't exactly understand the problem with the hunter girl at first, considering that the fault was falsely place since the contact of what the girl said did not go into play. Jason told her that it didn't matter. Percy almost killed her, and he stated that he would have if they didn't get involved. Reyna counter back and told him that what he said at the time didn't matter. Jason asked if it was the same for the hunter's. Reyna didn't give him answer.

When they came into the apartment, they only talked to Annabeth the whole time who was smiling and talking cheerfully. Percy never came out of the other room, acting sick to avoid them. Reyna knew both of them were faking.

After that, Reyna and Annabeth spent a lot of time together. Most of the time, their girls night out were strictly and only at night. Annabeth had school and Reyna had her praetor duties. So, well, that was the excuse. Annabeth did have school but she rather be there then with her unstable boyfriend at home, so she had Reyna her second escape.

Reyna blinked and found it to be much darker now, the misty blue now almost black. She sensed the coldness and noticed that it was stronger then. She looked for tall blonde yellow and bronze brown figure again down on the lonely beach and soon found him standing with another dark figure. It was smaller with a curly golden top, with a purple jacket wrapped tightly around her torso.

Reyna was about to turn and walk down to join them till her eye instantly caught another figure that came to stand next to her.

Reyna hated whenever Annabeth did this. It just wasn't fair. Reyna had been through many wars, even more battles, where blinking in front of the enemy was unacceptable. Yet, here she was, feeling like she had to play a game of false face masking true emotions that can change rules every ten seconds. And she was losing epically.

Reyna, most of the time, tried her best to keep a straight, stone like face around her. She didn't want to seem warm and friendly. She wanted to focused on everything that was negative about her, only studying her flaws and nasty nerves.

"Are you ready?" She asked. Reyna finally turned to look at her and saw that she had dark bags under her gray eyes and her face was tear stained. She knew she would be like that. She was like this a lot.

"Yeah." The blonde answered. "Let's go."

Reyna simply nodded in agreement as they travel down below the deck and onto the beach. They were silent the whole time. Reyna didn't feel completely comfortable whenever she was put into this position, despite the fact she had been in it a lot with Annabeth. She liked that girl, more then she should. She wanted to help her. She wanted her to smile and laugh, instead of sinking into an already deep depression that she seemed to function on.

Reyna just didn't know how. She was never the emotional type, never really open with anyone and vice versa. She felt as if she would just make it worse if she spoke with comforting words or not. She had done it before, mostly to herself, and had always failed to fix anything. In fact, she just made it worse.

She glanced over to Annabeth again who looked lost and emotionally confused. Reyna could relate on more then one bases with the girl. She related to her with a lot of things, actually. Maybe that was the beginning of it all: when they starting seeing things in the same light and having the same expressions and thoughts about it. Reyna had alway had a hard life, and Annabeth was able to find some similarities with her. That was new to her. And that was another thing they shared: finally finding someone who understood everything.

The two girls approached Jason and Hazel who were starting at the waterfall, quietly restating the plan that they had designed.

Reyna stood aside and started outward, focusing on the sound of the waves and the sight of Annabeth beside her. The girl looked so sad and miserable. Reyna knew she wanted Percy back, but everyone knew that they weren't going to get him back, even if the mission went accordingly.

Reyna knew what the girl was thinking. She had seen her stress and strain herself over fixing herself from her own dark and terrible past. How she cried and screamed over her difficulties when she groan annoyed and frustrated whenever she just couldn't get over herself on a small handle of trouble of herself. She watched as her friend, who she grown to love, fuss and push herself into fixing herself in the tiniest, most pathetic hope of fixing her boyfriend. She thought that if she could fix herself, she be strong and stable enough to fix both of them and carry them both through a long, happy life together.

Reyna admired her for that; the fact that she realize the reality before Reyna herself got a hint of it.

_"No demigod will heal your_ _broken heart..."_

The goddess of love's voice echoed inside her head. She didn't realize till later what she really meant, all those years ago. No demigod, or god, or even mortal will heal her heart. No, she would have to be the strong warrior she always was and fix it herself.

Annabeth understood that; knew it by heart probably. But what she didn't understand that maybe she could only fix herself. Maybe she couldn't fix Percy as well.

Reyna blinked her eyes and looked away before the blonde noticed her staring. She zoned in on the waterfall, trying to image the world she saw behind the curtain just a few hours ago.

A part of Reyna made her wonder about the world. She wondered if Percy was happy there. Maybe he was safe and cured and fixed there? Maybe he was because he fixed himself? Maybe Nico...

Reyna didn't know Nico Di Angelo very well. She knew very little of his past but knew enough of his personality to guess that he took Percy into his remote kingdom out of the kindness of his heart. The son of Hades appeared so cold and distant, like he was so dangerous that it called for him to be so, but she knew the truth. He did it because he secretly found the hero great and amazing, that he could possibly be fixed and sane as he once was, and he wanted to help him, and it was obvious that he needed it, especially from what was said in that IM conversation.

She still felt the breaking of her heart when she heard the sound his voice, begging and crying and breaking down...All for help that he needed so badly...All in order to ask for salvation from his personal hell...

She knew that the ambassador of Pluto would not refused the offer. She knew that deep down, Nico found Percy to be the greatest of all the heroes. It was that glimmering light in his eyes he had whenever he spoke about him, even in the praising of the slightly action. Nico never really let it on that he looked up to Percy but Reyna could tell by the way he kept his distance from him, yet followed him flawlessly, that Nico sensed him to be something great. Maybe even more...

"Let's go." Jason led the way to the waterfall. Hazel followed behind him with Reyna and Annabeth in tow. Reyna just hoped that everything would be alright, that they weren't walking into a war where they were almost defenseless and possibly considered enemies.

Reyna watched as Hazel stepped forward and focused in on the water. She would never understand on how the younger girl did it. How she just stands there and works her mind twisting magic like it was second nature to her. She didn't even do anything fancy or creative. All the girl did was stand there and lifted her arms up and the whole world just shattered.

It did again as, within a minute, Hazel slowly raised her hand to the sky, the monstrous sized waves obeying her command. Reyna found herself stepping in astonishment. It was so surreal and abnormal it was beautiful.

"Now!" Jason cried. That was the command. The signal of stage one going to action.

Jason dashed off with Annabeth only a semi second behind him. Reyna only step backwards again, somewhat behind Hazel. She watched over the shorter girl's shoulder for her own signal. The two demigods ran into the water and raced towards the slowly developing hole that would be the entree to the other world. It was when they enter into the hole and darken into the shadows when Reyna set her own task in motion.

She sprinted forward towards Hazel's back and picked her to a bridal style carry. The older girl zoomed. She was the fastest runner out of the four, so was proving it by her quick paste through the water.

She was heavily breathing and the muscles in her leg were starting to squeeze upon themselves. Reyna only had herself run faster saw she caught sight of the quickly falling waves above her.

Hazel couldn't control the waterfall on her own and still have the energy to ran fast enough to reach the entree, which she still had to use some of her magic to keep open. That's were Reyna came in, with carrying the girl and running off into the entree as she mainly focused on it. It wasn't a wonderful plan, but it was worth a shot and was somehow working.

Reyna started to feel drops of water on the top of her head and it made her grasp as he ran faster towards the cave. She soon saw Annabeth and Jason waiting for her, waving her to come on. Her heart was thumping like a drum and her breathing was weaving loudly. She felt herself slow as she reach them, the cold feeling of water tackling her spine. The blondes quickly dashed over and all four of them raced into the entree together.

Passing through what she assumed was the dome shaped cover over the distant world was a short cooling experience. She felt herself breath in the icy air and her skin lowered down in temperature. Her heart returned to normal, along with her breathing. She felt healed.

Then she opened her eyes and found herself face first into the wet soil. Hazel had somehow moved to her side with Jason to her left. Annabeth was to to Reyna's right, and was on the ground like her.

The four soon pushed themselves to rise. Reyna didn't realized till then that there were people in front of them. Reyna was the first to scramble up and stand. Annabeth was soon behind her with Jason and Hazel. Reyna thought that they were officially fuck till she realized that the people were a few feet away and it was more then a few.

The four demigods stood in front of what appeared to be the entree way of the kingdom, with it's opening being a wide open road. Reyna chilled violently when she felt the coldness of the water on her back and turned to find an endless ocean with a bridge over it. She recognized the place as where the invaders first advanced into last night. She turned back to the front to not find the same setting; more like the polar opposite.

The wide opening with it's frame of tall brightly flowered decorated buildings was alive and thriving with people who were dancing in white, gold, or black gowns. Music was pouring out of every direction, all the tunes mashing together to make a wonderful sound of happiness. Men, women, and children danced on the paved road like gypsies, and embraced each other in hugs and kisses with drinks held in one hand as they called out greetings in a foreign tongue that Reyna couldn't make out.

"What?..." Hazel asked beside her.

"Weren't they invaded, like, a day ago?" Jason voiced the fact they assumed was true.

"Apparently not." Reyna said.

The seen reminded her of all the street holidays that were held in Puerto Rico when she was a young girl. She recalled how she and her sister would wonder the street and enjoy the night that went back into time, wishing that she could stay there for life. It seemed like a happier time then, and that's what she wanted most. She pushed the memory aside and advanced froward. Jason came up to her side, darting his eyes to her, asking if she really thought it was safe to go in. Reyna walked on; that was her answer.

The four barely snaked there way through all the people at first. Reyna led the way and kept stopping herself so she didn't bump into anyone. The people there were lively, which went alright with her till she remembered that they were suppose to be in the land of ghost. She then ran through a tall, slim spirit while she studying the other people around her.

She stopped dead in her tracks, along with her party behind her. She turned away to apologize but the woman was already gone, singing and dancing away like the collision never happened. Reyna turned back around and kept going, her skin coldly crawling.

Reyna then starting observing her surroundings in a new, open light. She starting seeing the spirits clearing which she didn't understand how she missed it in the first place. If she looked at then long enough, she could see through there skin which was like a cloudy mass of air in the silhouette of a human body. The light of the moon and all the candles gave each of them there own personal shade of tan or dark brown or creamy white. It was amazing to see, in an odd way.

Hazel then came up to her as the young girl pulled her aside to the left. Reyna glanced back to find the rest still following her. The young girl led her to the opening of a near by building that had loud ruckus taking place inside; Reyna could tell by the shooting and singing.

"The people here don't notice our...condition yet." She whispered to the Praetor. "Let's keep it that way, just in cause." Then she pushed through the door and went inside.

Reyna was taken back at first. She never heard Hazel so serious. Jason came to her and nudged her. "Are we going to follow her?"

Reyna nodded as Annabeth came up beside her. The three entered inside. They were with Hazel again, gawking along with her at the view. They have walked straight into a saloon with dozens of men, slouching around as they drink away and clawing greedily at the barely dressed waitresses and the basically naked hostesses that came around the each man to kiss or hug every now and then.

"This was a mistake." Hazel whispered.

_No fucking kidding_, Reyna thought to herself. She never felt so exposed and...uncomfortable. She avoided most of the women since she did not try herself by any means, but it was hard to do, especially with them everywhere.

"Oh my Gods..." Reyna heard Annabeth whispered near her, her warm breath on her neck. That didn't help her at all.

"Does any know how to dance?" One of the drunk girls called out, fixing her top.

"We need to leave." Reyna ordered, turning around. "Now."

Just then, the girl was pulled from behind and tossed around. She faced the pale face of one of the girls in a red gown. She was snickering uncontrollably as they swung around in circles. Reyna panicked and looked around to caught a look at Jason and Annabeth who were in the same jam as him. Reyna turned again to find Hazel beside her, reaching out her hand for help.

Reyna would have responded immediately if she wasn't flicked off to the man across the room. Reyna realized then that she was in the so called dance where everyone gather around in a circle and spin in the format. The man she was with flung her to the side and she was grouped with another woman.

The music was lot and the beat thudded in her ears. Reyna danced along, keeping her eyes on the others as she tried to escape to mad dash. She noticed how Annabeth was against a woman who was entirely to close to her for Reyna's liking. The woman flicked her off in the wrong direction then, throwing her to the right instead of the left.

Reyna smashed her hip bone into the edge of the table behind her. She didn't realize it was there till then she hit it and then almost crouched down from the pain. She felt like she had been shot.

She looked up and found a couple, possibly the less intoxicated people in the room. They smiled at her, the woman brightly and the man lazily.

Reyna smiled back at them as she held her hip. She gave a nod before turning back and watching the final spin of the dance. The circle departed afterwards, a man holding both Hazel and Annabeth fall into the ground, setting them free of his hands and they ran towards Reyna's direction before they were pulled back by young woman who were touching there clothes and hair. Annabeth darted her grey eyes to her for help. Reyna felt herself take a step towards the madness but then something cute her off.

"Tell us about the King, Bradshaw!"

Reyna stopped and turned. She found the man smiling wider now, his arm wrapped around his suppose lover tightly. The saloon in whole shouted and cheered at the command. She stared at him wide eyed, then turned back to Annabeth who was just interested in the information, even thought her eyes were in a tight narrow slant.

Reyna turned back to find the woman smiling at her again. She waved her graceful hand on the table, allowing Reyna to sit there, with her and hear the tell. She obeyed and listened intensely.

"How is he after the battle?" One man's shout towered over the others.

Reyna stopped. She might not know the Di Angelo boy personal, but she knew and had experience the pain he had a daily douce whenever he shadow travel, after his release from the hell down below, during there quest near the end of the Giant War. She felt pity for him, not wanting him to feel anymore pain since he already done so much for so little in return.

"He is almost fully healed." Bradshaw spoke in a booming, deep voice. "Three days of nectar and he is standing and walking just fine. He said he will attempt to attend the celebrated at the end."

The crowd cheered in joy. Reyna clapped along as she thought over her new facts. Three days, that's how long the battle had been ago. A day in their world was three in here...

"Oh such a wonderful king he is." Reyna barely heard a woman swooned to her side. "So handsome and brave."

"Did you see him attack that damn tyrant?" A man asked into the air. "He nearly had him in the end! I would have paid all the gold in the world to see the final fight in the castle!"

"Bradshaw!" A woman cried. "Who won against the Mongol Trynat? King Nico or Belliessa Margaretta?"

What? Reyna shot her eyes to Jason who had finally escape from the women. They were sharing the same question.

"Oh the Belliessa Margaretta!" The women shouted again, like they were the person's biggest fans.

"Oh Bradshaw, when will the king marry Belliessa Margaretta and make him our queen?"

Did she heard that right? Reyna flinched from the he and Queen part. She turned to the other four and studied there expressions: Jason was blushing hard, Hazel was shock and her mouth ajar, and Annabeth was furious.

They all knew what this meant, assuming that Percy was really...

Oh Gods, she didn't expect this. Out of all the things, she didn't see this coming.

"The same second Don pulls the stick out of his ass and let's them, they will." Bradshaw said before sipping his drink, causing the saloon to erupt in laughter.

Reyna looked back to Annabeth and Hazel, finding them making there way to her. Before they reached her, an earsplitting sound broke through the already shrieking room. Everyone fell silent to the very upbeat tune that reminded her of the tune that the band played at a graduation. All the ghost in the room cheered as if it was the most beautiful noise in the world. Reyna ran to the girl, Jason joining her within that second before the large crowd dashed out in union with a grand force.

The four were shoved out of the building and back onto the street. Reyna stumbled along with the marching spirits, having to grab onto Annabeth's sleeve to stay with the group which somehow pushed forward to the very front of the crowd, having the best view of the street.

The people were screaming and cheering, throwing out flower petals and gold and sliver necklaces out towards the main attraction that was way down at the end of the street.

"What the hell is happening?" Jason screamed into Reyna's ear.

"I don't know." She yelled back. They stood there, waiting for something to happen, when the couple came up beside them again. The woman stood beside Reyna leaning over to see anything before realizing her presence. She smiled up to her with dazzling teeth. Reyna smiled back, trying to keep her mind steady. It was already hard enough with Annabeth majorly flaming beside her.

The cheers suddenly roared. Shouts an please in foreign tongue overwhelmed her ear drums. The one made beside stung her the most.

"Belliessa Margaretta!"

Then she saw him, and for a solid moment, a part of herself said that it was safe, because it wasn't him.

But it was. It really was him. It really was Percy. Just not the one they expected to find.

Percy was stationed onto a tall black horse, with it's main breaded with golden beads. He wore fine, silk like clothing that glimmered in the moon and star light if the night. The dark shade of red of his cape was luscious, with precious jewels were effulgent details to his presences that seemed to dazzled and amaze everyone around him. His skin was flawless and strong looking with a bronze. His hair was wind blown, with thick raven colored locks that looked healthy. He was far off from them, but she could still make out his sea green eyes that scintillated from his aura of stunning beauty and sparkling joy as he waved his white designed hand to the crowd.

Reyna stood dazed for a moment. She came for the deathly ill boy with a shattered soul and broken mind. She had only seen this boy once or twice, and even then for a short period of time.

She stepped back as the couple left the crowd, hoping to not be seen. The man and woman waltzed up to the boy and greeted him with a smile. Percy returned it fully, his pink lips stretching out to show all his pearly white teeth. His cheeks bones were shown and his eyes shimmered more. Reyna found herself gasping, and not breathing from the sight.

She felt Jason grab her elbow. She turned to him to find the same expression in his eyes. They both knew what was happening, the changing condition of Percy... They knew that this quest was meant to ruin him again.

Reyna told herself that she could do it. She shouldn't and she wouldn't. She turned back to sight of Percy actually smiling and even laughing. It had been so long since he did it naturally that Reyna didn't know how to take it. He had faked it for so long...

"Um guys?" Hazel squeaked. "Where's Annabeth?"

Reyna jumped from the question. Jason and she swirled around to find the blonde missing.

"We have got to tie her the fuck down." Hazel hissed.

Reyna faced front to find Percy starting to walk again, waving the couple goodbye. He hadn't taken two steps till a thin yet tall figure zoomed pass the three and head straight towards him.

Reyna reacted immediately, dashing out after the girl but she was faster with a head start. Annabeth reached the horse first, which was frighten and sprung back onto it's high legs.

"Percy!" Annabeth screamed, her tone mixed with many untellable emotions. "Percy!"

The boy's eyes landed on her face and his joy shattered. Reyna saw it broke in his eyes.

Reyna grabbed harshly onto her arm, sinking her nails in to make sure she didn't escape for a damn third time. Jason appeared beside her, with Hazel taking another hold onto Annabeth.

Reyna kept her eyes on Percy. She saw his smile and his health and his future crumble down into a sunken face, dark eyed ghost of a man. She couldn't describe how much it scared her. It also hurt, like a bitch. It scared and hurt her shitless.

Reyna stopped when she heard the slicing sound of the unsheathing if a sword. Reyna reacted by doing the same. She saw herself face to face with Bradshaw, who was more then ready to attack. She felt the pressure of three backs to her and knew the fight would start soon.

"Stop!" Percy shouted. "By the order of the Crown!"

It was a solid second before any of them moved. It was Bradshaw who obeyed first, lowering his sword. Reyna did so, the rest following after her. She glanced to find about a dozen more soldiers about to attack her friends.

"Bradshaw." Percy's tone was emotionless, his face stone cold. His eyes were still as dead as the people around him. "Take them to the castle. They're friends of Nico and mine..." He looked at the blonde girl beside Reyna. She didn't want to look at Annabeth. She couldn't handle it. "We haven't seen any of you in a long time..."

Reyna could say the same for him.

{...}

The four were escorted by the thirteen guards, one leading the way while three were assigned to block off each so called "guest".

Bradshaw lead the way. He was the one that Reyna followed with two beside her and one behind, making sure that she didn't talk to the others who walked about three feet apart from her. She assumed the man was a high ranking officer in the army, since Percy gave the orders directly to him. They seemed to be friends.

Every once and a while, Bradshaw would look back at her and glared meanly. He didn't seem happy with the leaving of his wife, the liquor, and the fun party. She noticed as they left that the atmosphere changed to the polar opposite. It reacted like there precious queen did.

They were on the castle's ground now, cutting through the garden to the entree. They walked on the paved sidewalk, and Reyna wondered if all these millions of flowers were for Percy from Nico, like Hades done for Persephone.

Reyna have had the chance of getting to know Nico during there time together. She knew he would easily do this for someone he supposedly love, easier if he loved them enough to marry.

She still wasn't sure about that far off theory in her head. She didn't mind gays; she didn't even mind Percy or Nico being gay separately or together. She minded Annabeth's mixed reaction. She minded the quest she would have to follow through. She mind the fact that she just might ruin it all for them. She felt more sick from the idea of the act inside her head. She knew all about Percy's past and very little about Nico's, but she knew enough to confirm that it has been hard for both. And if, by some miracle, they found salvation with each other, then why would she ruin it? How could she? In fact, why should she?

Bradshaw stepped aside and watched each one of them enter inside of a large room with a dinning table in it. They all were searched and disarmed by the three guards, making to stand in front of him later to pass judgement.

"Sit at the table and eat." Bradshaw ordered. His hoary, jolly tone changed into an ordering voice of coldness. "The King will be with you shortly."

The dozen guards split and lined against the wall, blending into the shadows. Bradshaw made his way out of the same door he entered into. He turned and faced them before leaving. His face was dangerously ruthless.

"If you hurt the lovely pearl of Oltre Malavita, the king will make your fate merciless." He walked away.

The four took there seats at the table. The food that was steaming hot and delicious looking made Reyna's mouth water but she didn't attempt any of it, just in case. The others did so as well.

"What the fuck are we going to do?" Jason whispered.

No one answered for a long time.

"Let's just leave." Annabeth hissed. "He's obviously happy here."

"We made a promise to Hades-" Hazel started.

"Fuck Hades."

"Fuck-"

"Enough!" Reyna snapped at them. Jason looked scared as the other two girls raged on inside. "We three will do the talking." She gesture to Jason and Hazel. She turned to Annabeth. "You can just shut up."

Reyna hated herself for it but she was pissed at her. She blew there cover by running up to him like a lost girlfriend, which hurt Reyna more then she wants to admitted.

_You_ _have been flirting with me, making me question my sexuality during this whole damn quest, and you go running back to your boyfriend like nothing ever happened._

Reyna had been forgotten, left behind... She refused to feel that way again. To be so weak and blinded to have that happen to her again. Especially from someone who was suppose to be her friend.

Before anything else could be said, footsteps called out into the silence. Percy merged out of the darkness and seated himself in a chair away from them all. Reyna could only image what he felt like, facing his past that he clearly did not want to see again.

No one spoke. No one ate. They all sat there and aged by seconds at the forever long quietness.

"Why are you here?" Percy's voice was weak.

No one answered him at first. Then Hazel spoke up and explained everything from the escape. Percy didn't look at her, his eyes staying downward, glaring at the sliver plate before him. He made no comments and no one else in the group added anything in to Hazel's tale.

Once she was finished, Percy leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, breathing deeply.

"I'm sorry." He finally spoke. He opened his eyes and true to smile at them again. "I am truly happy to see all of you again, and I am very grateful for your care about my safety."

Reyna held her breath. This isn't good. No where near.

"But I refuse to leave Oltre Malavita." He stated with pride and force behind his tone.

The four were silent for a second.

"Pardon?" Annabeth was to one to speak in a mean tone.

"I refuse to leave Oltre Malavita." Percy snapped at her. Reyna had need heard him speak to the blonde like that before. "I refuse to leave my home. I am happy here. I belong here, with my people, with Nico..."

Reyna felt Annabeth slowly shake with anger as Percy continued on with his tale of how he has lived in the land of the dead. He told them of how he had became so close to Nico, how he learned the language here and learned how to love the people here. He to them that he was fully healed here as well. No nightmares or terrible paranoia.

Reyna was surprised with the fact that just a little section with Nico was the key for his problems all this time. It seemed so far off, even more off back then when they couldn't find him anywhere.

Nico and Percy had been through so much of similar events; it seemed ideal for the two to click (even in more ways then one). They thought the same with him and Annabeth, since they were so close and been through hell together. But obliviously to everyone but Annabeth, it was a hopeless case.

Percy even shared about Nico's adventure of finding Oltre Malavita. How he found the sword and was toms about the prophecy of the son of Hades being King of the land.

"Nico is a good King." Percy said. "He's also my savior. I can't image life without him, and I refuse to try to live one without him."

Reyna took that as her answer of what type of relationship he shared with Nico. She knew Jason knew too. Annabeth and Hazel didn't fully understand it.

"Percy." Jason spoke up in a calm tone. "Hades told us to get you out of Oltre Malavita. He demanded it. He said that if we didn't, you would be the destruction of his son. You would possibly end Oltre Malavita."

"How so?" Percy challenged. "We have just defended the tyrants, down to where there were only a dozen survivors. I killed the enemy with a hurricane. Nico destroyed the leader of them, almost dying in the attempt! We save Oltre Malavita! How can I destroy it?"

"Because you're emotionless unstable and a short temper!" Annabeth shouted at him like she was scolding an idiotic child. "And probably even more so with him around! That's why Hades wants you away from his son!"

Reyna was about to smack her till Percy eyes locked on her's in fiery rage. "Why? What enemy is there? Did you ever think about that? Did you even questioned why Hades would do so and what so evil force is out to destroy us?" She had no answer. "You know, for a daughter of Athena, you're not very wise now are you?"

The second before the fight of the year broke out, with Reyna reaching to hold down Annabeth and Jason about to sprint to cover Percy, the doors open again, stopping everything, including time and the air.

He stood taller then she remember, about a foot or so. His hair was messier and darker, in wild, long tousles flung all around his head. They covered some of his pale skinned face and dark eyes. His jawline and cheekbones aged with maturity, making them stronger, straighter, and more Greek like. He had became stronger as well, with very lean and lithe muscles in his chest, arms and legs. She recalled him as a scrawny boy that was shorter and younger than her. Now he was nothing of it.

Nico Di Angelo, The King if Oltre Malavita, The Ruler of the Dead, had arrived.

{...}

I am sooooo sorry for the extremely long update, but I had test and honors day and graduation to do and it was a huge mess. But here it is!

WARNING: NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE SMUT CHAPTER! THIS MEANS THAT WHEN IT IS UPDATED AGAIN, IT WILL BE RATED M! FOLLOW YHE STORY TO GET THE HEADS UP!

Thanks for reading and please review!


	17. Chapter 17

Nico was told the news as he walked back into the room. He stood on the balcony and waved down to his people as his partake in the celebration. He was now able to breath normally. He could stand and move without pain, and he wanted to show his citizens that.

He came back in to find Bradshaw there. He didn't wait for the king to say anything before informing him about the situation.

"Four living mortals have broken the border. Percy has informed me that you know who they are. They are waiting for you in the dinning hall, possibly with Percy." The general walked out and away before Nico could ask him anything.

The son of Hades stood there for a moment, not wanting to walk into the unknown that he knew all too well.

He finally left the room, closing the door behind him softly, and slowly made his way down the steps to the hall. He made sure he was quiet as he started to hear a light tone of a young lady with a slight southern accent. Nico felt his heart sink once he heard Hazel, wanting to cry. He even stopped walking and listened to her words. He didn't realize how much she really meant to him, and how much he really missed her till then. The guilt flooded inside him.

He couldn't fully make out any of the words she spoke, but he still hung onto ever word.

He finally made it through Hazel's speech without breaking down. He approached the doors, glancing to the outside garden through the tall windows as he tried to steady his nerves. No one was saying anything, and it worried him terribly. He placed himself in the center, standing linear to the cracks of the opening. He held his breath.

He could hear Percy clearly when he broke the silence. His melodic tone stood out to him in an odd, yet lovely way. It was his words that shocked him the most.

_"I'm sorry. I am truly happy to see all of you again, and I am very grateful for your care about my safety. But I refuse to leave Oltre Malavita."_

More silence followed. Nico stepped away from the door.

One part of him was truly happy by the statement, wanting to burst out into total, absolute joy through a long, cat like grin. His worse fear has been abolished. He, beginning to realize that it was a possibility the moment he heard Hazel, was now relived of the thought of Percy calling in his friends for a recuse mission out of Oltre Malavita. He didn't want to go. He wanted to stay. He loved him still. He wanted to stay...

The other part destroyed his happiness once he put together what was really happening. They were here to take away his Percy.

"_Pardon_?"

That... _Her_!

Nico felt his rage to his veins, causing his blood to boil. He felt his fist form as his hands and his jaw tighten, and his teeth grind to each other. He wanted to rip through the damn doors and release an army of skeletons to destroy them all.

_Her_... She was back to take him away again. After years and year of suffering, of painful sacrilegious, of seeing the love of his life in the damn arms of another, someone he could never be like because of more then enough errors and factors, she was back to continue the deed of ruining his heart and mind. She came back for his hero, to keep permanently by her side like she did before. She came back to recollect what she believed what was rightfully her's, like his hero was a toy she was done playing with and now, with the beautiful figure in the hands of another's, wanted back.

Nico knew what she meant by her presence here. She came to save him from the hellish world that Nico pulled him into, unwillingly and with great harsh forces. Like he was the villain in this loving war, like he was the bitter fighter in one of the corners of the triangle. She came to save her hero, like she always done before.

_That's a shit of a lie. _Nico raged inside himself. _I'm_ _the one who fixed him. All she did was broke him even more before he came running to me._

_"Nico is a good King. He's also my savior. I can't image life without him, and I refuse to try to live one without him."_

_"Percy, Hades told us to get you out of Oltre Malavita. He demanded it. He said that if we didn't, you would be the destruction of his son. You could possibly end Oltre Malavita."_

_Jason... That's Jason_. Nico stopped.

A part of him deep down was yelling out traitor; enraging in betrayal and anger that the only person who knew about his secret was now against him, trying to break it all down for him. He knew how Nico loved him and now he has sided with her...

But the bigger, better part of him shut that up. The son of Jupiter's words cleared his mind and made him feel incredibly sick. It was a warning and it was from Nico's own father.

He didn't understand any of it. Supposedly, Nico would be ended, rather in his ruling or his life, and the cause for it could possibly be the one who saved him in the first place.

Nico heart felt as if it has erupted yet deflated all at once. He felt hurt and disgusted. He became to have his breath slowed an hallowed, almost making it painfully to operated. So many thoughts bubbled up his mind yet none could even begin to be considered, much less answered.

He didn't understand. They just eliminated the tyrants to a single digital number of men. Most were gone after the hurricane after it was released. It destroyed most of the enemy men that were lifted in the surprise holes, drowning them and wasting them away into the earth forever. That's when Nico and Percy learnt that spirits of this land can truly die, with enough power and time. They had no idea where they went or exactly how but it didn't concerned them completely too much.

He recalled how the people praised Percy even more, now with it's newly discovered talent that can apparently kill the enemy with just one trick. He watched as the people cheered and chanted for his hero, smiling the whole time. He was so proud and so happy for him. Now it all came crashing down with his father's prophecy of the Oltre Malavita's downfall, and Percy was the key to it.

"_How so? We have just defended the tyrants, down to where there were only a dozen survivors. I killed the enemy with a hurricane. Nico destroyed the leader of them, almost dying in the attempt! We save Oltre Malavita! How can I destroy it?"_

"_Because you're emotionally unstable with a short temper! And probably even more so with him around! That's why Hades wants you away from his son!"_

No. No, that was completely wrong. Nico felt the same with Percy. He didn't want a life without him. Hell he never did. Even with this new philosophy of death's land ending, most of Nico's mind fought against the issue and tried to find someway to keep Percy here to fight, to be with him. He knew that the people would want it, and his power of the water would be a winning addition to there army and success.

The cause for his department still remained a mystery to him. No possibly leading problem could cause this in his mind nor eyes.

What happen? Where did it all go wrong?

"_Why? What enemy is there? Did you ever think about that? Did you even questioned why Hades would do so and what so evil force is out to destroy us?_" She had no answer. "_You know, for a daughter of Athena, you're not very wise, now are you?"_

Nico snapped out of his desperation and confusion, immediately putting on his stone cold face and pushed the doors open. He took only two steps as they swung open and slammed into the side walls, making his entree dramatic and loud which it needed to be, seeing that Percy and Annabeth were about to brawl out, Jason and Reyna were even standing in order to stop to fighting.

They all halted when they saw that Nico had arrived. All were standing expected for Hazel who jumped up once she saw him. Her golden eyes were wide, like he was a new, exotic object or a long lost item that she loved so dearly. Nico tried to keep it together. He missed his sister so much.

He saw Jason standing too tall and too straight, like he was trying to cause no difference in anything that happened around him, even breathing. Reyna stood, keeping her face neutral as well, trying to keep calm in the nerve racking position. He avoid looking at Annabeth, it was bad enough between them.

Nico didn't hate her, even after his finally got Percy. He was defiantly intimidated of her through. She was smart, beautiful, lively. She was everything he wasn't, and it made sense, back then, for Percy to be madly in love with her. Who wouldn't? She was almost perfect, so damn near to it. Her being here meant that she was pissed and worried, that she still greatly cared for the Sea Prince, enough to arrive here, into very deadly and strange land, and retrieve him.

He glanced over to Percy, who's face was twisted by so many emotions. He didn't know how he felt with Annabeth being here, it made his feelings squirm and react wildly and dramatically. He knew Percy didn't exactly like that, he hated not being in emotional control really.

Nico had no worries about Percy still loving Annabeth. Yes, he still declared her important in his life (or, well, he did) since they both went through so much and shared many adventures together, but that kind of relationship they shared shattered to a crashing end that led Percy here, to Nico.

_It apparently led her here, too._ Nico kept that to himself.

Percy looked away from him, his eyes filled with emotions seemed to calmed, now back to there proper seaweed green hue. He faced Reyna and Jason, who stood to his right. He didn't have to guts to face his baby sister, nor was he stupid enough to glance over at Annabeth.

"Long time no see." Nico stated. Which was true. He had seen these people in at least three years, which was proven by their changes in appearance. Jason was taller for sure, and Reyna let her dark hair grow out even more. Hazel grew about a foot and he noticed the big, heart shaped diamond in her ring finger. Had his little sister gotten engaged, possibly married, and he wasn't there for it?...

_Gods, if any of our loves life work out, let it be Hazel and let her marry Frank. He's the only one that can make_ _her happy and I can still scare into doing what I want. _Nico thought to himself and tried not to smile.

"Very." Jason replied. Reyna nodded along.

"Why are you here?" Nico demanded. He knew the best way out of this was to get straight to be point, so the solution could be found quicker.

They all sat first. Percy stared at him as he glanced around the party of four again. He even looked at Annabeth, but only for a second. One second wasn't fast enough to really look at her but the message was broadcasted well enough without him doing so.

Reyna spoke up and told him. He listened to the long story, of how his sister's unplanned visit from her and his father, telling him to save him by saving Percy. That's when she and Frank found the scroll and traveled to Camp where everyone else was. She told about how they saw what happened and freaked the fucked out from the sight.

Jason mentioned how they still didn't know it was him till they went to California and met Iris.

Nico met eyes with Percy slightly questioning the Iris part. Percy just shrugged. Nico turned back to Jason who explained that they didn't know what else to do. He told of how they heard the conversation that they held during the IM, and they learnt that they were deep inside a cove of magic covered by the mist in Iceland.

"Iceland?" Nico found that the oddest point of all. How did he get from Alaska to Iceland?

"Yeah." Reyna nodded. "We were shocked too."

"But how...?" Nico questioned.

"That's why you can get in connect with your father." Percy spoke up. "We're in the land beyond the Gods."

"That's makes so much sense." Nico stated. "But if this is the land beyond the gods, how could I have shadow traveled here?"

"How did you shadow travel to Alaska?" Hazel asked.

"I have no idea. I just thought of Alaska." He lied.

"You wanted to travel and the first place you thought of was Alaska?" Percy asked. "Remind me to never go on vacation with you."

Nico just smiled at the sassy boy. He could feel Annabeth squirm beside him. He glanced and saw her no longer mad, but uncomfortable. He was right there with her.

He looked again to Jason and Reyna and they looked like they were overthinking a problem to the solution. Jason's blue eyes studied Percy intensely, then they turned to Nico and soften. Jason was the first to know, and now the first to pick up all the signs.

Nico was uncertain on what to do now. He never planned on having to confront any of them about his secret sexuality. He never dreamt of telling him about his very deep relationship with Percy, mainly because he never thought it would happen. All of them finding him and Percy in Oltre Malavita, being in love and all... He just thought that they were so confirmed in magic that they were hidden away from any intruders of the mortal world.

When he was in Alaska, and later on in Oltre Malavita, he planned to stay in a single place and never leave it. He was going to stay there for the rest of his life, live in peace and quiet, and never have to worry about them ever finding out about him and his dirty, nasty secret. He would also, at that time, never have to worry about Percy and his uncontrollable emotions for him.

Now, of course, that part of the problem was taken care off very nicely. But the other one, the one that was destine to come out made him worry. He wasn't exactly scared; he was actually very comfortable with himself and his gayness. He just didn't know all the others would be once they knew.

Percy used to be the first he thought of, but now that he was the same way with him, he was now concerned about Hazel the most. She was his baby sister, and even from the same time period as him. She was raise to believe the same thing as him about any other sexuality other than Hetero. He wasn't sure how she would react.

Jason already knew, so Nico was mainly alright with him. Jason would be happy for them, hopefully. He would be happy and tell Nico he should've told him sooner and should have never ran away. Nico wasn't sure if he wanted to be lectured by him just yet. He had a feeling that he was about to get enough from Bradshaw later on.

He wasn't sure about Reyna who was staring at Annabeth more then anyone. Her eyes seemed to glaze over and glance down at a certain area before blushing slightly and looking away. Nico found himself blushing himself, maybe even more when he caught Annabeth doing it.

Annabeth worried the fuck out of him. He didn't even know how to act around the girl, or to speak. Yes, he doubted that she knew about him and Percy, but hell he still stole her dysfunctional boyfriend! He didn't even know how he wasn't slaughtered by now! He glanced over again to find her staring lustfully again_. Thank God for Reyna_, he thought.

Reyna continued on about how they were told to come here then, to find where the most was the strongest. They were able to find transportation over the ocean and get here in a matter of a week and a half. Nico assumed they got lost a lot since he knew none of them would ever say it.

"Now were here, trying to convince our friend to leave with us like we came here for." Hazel said softly. She didn't let it show that she seemed annoyed with his lovely pearl but Nico knew he well enough to see the frustration in her golden eyes.

"I don't understand why I have to go when nothing is coming, since we just got ridge of it!" Percy snarled out loud. Nico knew he was annoyed too. He didn't want to leave. Nico felt the same about the problem.

That when Nico caught Annabeth about to say something back and he decided to cut in.

"Like talk about this again in the morning." He declared. "It's late and we're all tried. We'll be better off well rested and fresh minded. We'll just wait for the morning." No one spoke in disagreement, so he took that as his yes. "Alright then."

Nico and Percy walked out of the dinning hall in silence, leaving the maids to show the other four where to go for their stay in the night. They would be on the north wing of the castle as Nico and Percy traveled to their far off room in the east side. Nico made sure that they entered in before the others could see them do so. He didn't want to cause more dramatic discovers to be found that evening that would only cause the morning to be more dreadful then he wanted.

He shut and locked the door behind him, finding Percy to already be in his desk chair, untying his boots with angry tugs. Nico knew what Percy knew. And Percy knew what Nico knew. They both knew it, to say the lease...

Percy had to go. If Nico's father, Hades, the god of death himself, singled him out and demanded for his leave and his department from his son, the one that he very rarely cared for... Fuck, something had to be wrong.

Nico still didn't know what to make of it all, though. He didn't want his hero to leave. He didn't want to spend a single minute without him if it was true, about his close accruing danger with a new foe. The boy was his backbone, his drive forward through everything, ever since he was young, and the thought of him possibly causing him to fail in his father's warning was not only surreal but heart breaking to him. How could the very thing that made him live be the exact thing to kill him?

Nico made eye contact with the Sea Prince finally. Those beautiful sea green eyes darted back into his with intensity. They shined brightly in the candle light beside him, and they shimmered more with the watery emotions starting to overflow the irises. Nico began to make his way to him. He stiffen in awareness of what was happening and scowled in distaste for it.

"No." He stated. His voice that was once so strong and deep and bold was now on the very edge of breaking down in, not fear, but sadness and anger, along with disgust. "No. Nico, no. I said no. I'm not going anywhere. I don't care what your father said. I don't care what any of them have said. I am not leaving. We can face what ever is coming together like we just did three days ago. We can overcome this together. I refuse to leave, to leave you..."

Nico was now kneeling before him, taking his beautiful face into his hands, feeling his smooth skin wrinkle and the facial muscles stiffen as he held in his tears and emotions. The Lovely Pearl put his hands in Nico's dark hair as their faces came closer together, noses touching.

Percy was the example of bravery and loyalty. He was strong and a leader. He did not cry, and he always kept that face about him for that same reason. It was failing him, and Nico's heart sunk.

"You promised me..." He barely got out with a single tear that was soon followed by more. "_You promised me..._"

"I promised you that I will always keep you safe."

"And that is with _you_!" He cried. Percy gripped his hair tighter. He was crying now and both of them hated it. "I am safe here, with you. I can fight here, live here... I can't go back there, with... With her! I can't live like that anymore. I was dead and I was alone and struggling for freedom, for love. I can't go back and live in that hell again. I can't stand to be around of them, not without you with me. I can't go back to the same place where I only shattered myself more in. It's not the life I want. I want to be with you. I need to be with you. I'm only sane with you! I'm only stable when I am with you! Nico, please. Please, I _need_ you. _I love you_."

Nico watched him sob and whimper. He couldn't breath. Not only did he not know how to act or to respond, he simple just couldn't stand it. It almost killed him like it almost killed his love, his pearl, his hero...

He didn't want to have Percy to be taken away from him. Especially if it was to the same people who only damaged him more, and even lost him when he was at his lowest point. He wanted him to stay by his side. He loved him. He had for so, so long and he finally had him. And now, the Fates have taken his life and given it a awful toll again.

But he wanted him safe more. He wanted his beautiful love to be safe and healthy, to be forever sound. It's what he deserves after spending most of his life in danger for not only himself but for his friends and family. He made came close to some much danger, some almost taking his life in the making, because he was that great of a hero. His hero... And his hero deserve to live in a safe, heaven like place where he lived with no worries or stressful problems. And Nico wanted to give that to him; it was what he promised him. He refused to break his promise.

He watched and stared into those in pain, broken eyes and he saw his hero broken and scared again. Like he was really returning back to the hell than his life three months ago.

His hero needed him. Just like Nico needed him...

"Okay." Nico breathed, trying to make it through his own pain. "Okay... We can try to work this out."

Percy sobs slowed into a few gasps of breath then, ones that were forceful and short, almost suffocating him. Nico petted his hair and held him close, tighter then usual, like he needed help breathing too. "I love you. I love you so much..."

Percy faced him and gave him a fairly firm kiss on the lips. Nico felt sparks start down in a low pit of his soul and almost groan when their lips separated.

"Thank you." He whispered against his lips.

"It's okay." Nico cupped his face. "It's all going to be okay. I promise."

Percy smiled at him; his eyes were bright again. Nico leaned in and kissed him softly. They repeated the small gesture till it was unbroken in a long phase. The kiss was fiery was passionate, making Nico's insides warm up into extreme heat. Percy's tongue asked for entrees into Nico's cavern which he opened gladly for.

Nico's eyes were slanted slightly open, but he couldn't see anything without drowning fatally into the wonderful bliss. The sparks inside his soul had became aflame, and he knew it was love that was being made tonight.

Nico felt himself rise from his knees into a standing position, lacing his fingers into his pearl's, leading him to follow his example. The beauty did so, breaking off the deep kiss for a small second. Their lips met again as Nico fell onto the bed, letting Percy fall beside him, allowing for the younger boy to climb over him.

The kiss never broke, only escalated into a deeper sensation as Nico let his hands roam the older boy's body, letting his finger touch every line and scar. The shirt was soon pulled off, which let him an his lips move over to the long, strong jawline and down the neck.

The Sea Prince moaned in bliss. "Love me..."

"I have." Nico whispered in his ear. "For years."

Nico went on with his work as Percy signed and breathed hoarsely, yet softly. The Ghost King finally made his way back up to his ear and started to sweetly nibble on it. He then started to bite down harder and stretched the top loop out longer, using his teeth, making his lover moan louder underneath him. Nico felt empowered by the sound, wanting more of it, along with the boy's unexplored body.

Soon, he felt Percy take hold of the hems at the bottom of his shirt. His demand was allowed; Nico took off his shirt by didn't return back to the ear but moved onward down the deciduously muscular chest in tight bronze skin. Nico kissed every spot he could trace and feel, enjoying the feeling of the boy trembling underneath his lips as he moaned more. He even used his tongue some as he reach the wonderful abdominal area where six firm puffs of muscles were lined perfectly for his liking. He felt his lover jerk at that action and ran his hand thickly through his hair. It only made his more anxious, wild even.

Oh yes, he wanted more.

With that, his hand slid down to the silky pants were an erection was pointing out rather directly. Nico let his hand lightly glaze the groin, barely touching it, only enough to make Percy moan more for him.

"Nico... Please." Percy was squirming more, just as Nico's own right leg started to shake.

The Ghost King gave him what he so sweetly asked for. He pushed the black pants down, along with the underwear, to find a long and thick penis popping forward, and nearly linear, at him. It was mouthwatering.

Nico glanced over to Percy as he prodded himself on his elbows to watch. Nico smirked at him before taking three fingers and wrapping them around the tasty looking thing. He slowly rubbed the erection up and down with some force, but soon gain speed and added friction. His lover started to moan more, almost whimpering pitifully for more.

Nico decided that, once he was to the max speed and Percy was on his back, arcing it as he gripped the sheets in an attempt to hold back his lustful groans, it was time to go on. Nico leaned down licked the long cock carefully. Percy was barely able to swallow his cry of pleasure and gripped the sheets tightly to where his knuckles were white.

Nico continued licking and rubbing as Percy moaned and gasped, breathing heavily as well. Nico could feel his own heart beat accelerate as he finally put his mouth to it and sucked the very tip.

"Oh shit!... Nico, yes!" Percy cried out.

He sucked harder, circling his tongue around the thick limb as he leaned up and down, exploring the tasty treat through every inch.

He separated his mouth from the penis with a pop, letting his drool slip from out of his mouth. He felt untamed, like a wild beast ready to finally devour his meal. He noticed some pre-cum oozing out of the tip and he grinned at the sexy idea that took over his mind.

He rubbed the dick for more if the liquid, then smoothed it around his three main fingers. He licked his lips as he lean over to be above his lover. Percy was panting heaving, his chest rising up and down, sweat gleaming off his bronze skin in the bright mix of candle and moon light. Those lovat green eyes were clouded with utter ardor, along with full cheeks colored a lovely shade of vermilion.

Nico leaned down and kiss his lips very softly, only forceful enough to distract him from the entering of one of his fingers into his spot. He felt his lover scrambled underneath, his hand snapping immediately to his hair and squeezing roughly. The kiss didn't break but only deepen, making the drive grow savagely inside them.

Nico pulled away and first and started moving. He took action to the sensation, studying Percy's face for any pain in the exercise. The boy under him swallowed and pants and groan from the enjoyment he was receiving. Nico stopped to enter another finger and quicken his paste. His lover kept his hand in his dark hair, pulling Nico's head down to him, make him kiss him again as he entered his last finger in.

The kiss was broken off after that, Percy's groans dramatically changing in breathy winces of pleasure.

"Goddamn it, Nico...yes, yes!" He wiggled around, like he needed more.

Nico soon stood to remove his own pants. His right leg was shaking more violently them any other trembling part of his body. He found himself breathless as well, licking his dry lips to taste the flavorful savor again. He climbed over his love, face to face, preparing for the final stage of the intercourse.

Nico looked down to Percy, cupping his left cheek. His thumb graced the corner of his lips. Nico stared onto those beautiful sea green eyes as he gently entered in. Percy showed no pain from it, even after shoving inside him fully.

He made a sound of breathless excitement. Nico bit his lip back from going full on like him really wanted. God, he been waiting for this for so long. Damn it, he wanted him so badly...

He started off slowly, like he has been doing, only taking out a small part each time as he gain speed. His hands were soon clutching the sheets, even ripping the mattress under them as he sped on. He happened to close his eyes as he did so, but he still heard Percy's long shouts of satisfaction. The feeling of Percy's dick between there stomachs was even better, making it hard, almost throbbing, for release. Nico felt himself smirk at the idea.

Percy wrapped his legs around his waist once the climax was near, bucking his waist, pushing against his force, even using the leverage to bring the two bodies closer, causing more friction to not only the riding but also to his dick. Nico smirked even more.

On the climb to the max speed, the bed started to squeak and shake. Nico felt himself in a need to cause more of the havoc, since Percy had finally gone speechless, having the pleasure literally silence him, make even choke him into it. His arms have rushed to Nico's back, his hand racking, viciously scratching his spine and shoulder blades. Nico had to bite back his own scream of sensation from the gesture, trying to hold it in as much as he could stand to.

He let out a throaty breath when he finally felt the climax race through his muscles into the boy under him. The bed sounded as if it was being ripped apart, playing background music to Percy's loud moans. Nico felt his heart race and his breath vanish inside his lungs.

He stopped when his penis throbbed into the halting stop of almost coming inside of Percy. He stiffen immediately before pulling away from Percy's hole. His breath returned to him very harshly went he came, the liquid coming down onto the floor.

He turned up to Percy who was ready to come as will. Nico leaned over again and kissed his love as he came between them. He felt his light sign as he release himself; his breath was hot against his lips and smelt like blueberries.

Nico parted from him and settled down in the bed on his back beside him. He threw a pillow over his cum spot, not wanting someone to walk in and see it. The two laid there and breathed as their still shivering bodies slowly returned to normal.

Nico suddenly felt incredibly tired. He was to exhausted to move, even to turn his head to face his lover. Luckily, Percy was the one to move first, turning on his side to rest his head on his stomach.

Nico finds the gesture endearing, playing with messy, sweaty strains of his hair as he cuddled down into his skin.

"I love you." Nico whispered as he laid his head down and closed his eyes for sleep. He felt as light peck in his stomach as his answer. He giggled slightly.

The King soon felt himself drift into a deep, peaceful sleep. That is, till he opened his eyes and found himself in a familiar place.

He sat up instantly, observing his new surrounding. It was a stone wall room with cold floors. The lighting was low and gave off a blood red shimmer. What set him off the most was the giant throne made of human bones that looked aged and damage. He knew this room-that throne-all too well.

His father has finally answered him.

Nico finally stood and for a second, he panicked, remembering his absence of clothing, but soon realize he was fully dressed on tight black riding pants and a deep v neck cut shirt. He felt like a pirate without his parrot and eyepatch.

He glanced to the floor to find another surprise: the sword. The long black blade that started this whole new turn on life laid on the floor, shining in the light like it belong there. It caused Nico's stomach to cringe.

He picked the sword up carefully, studying it like he has done many times before. He had came to the conclusion that he has some connection to it. Since the first time he held it, he has felt it and now he figured that he will finally get his answer for his drawn to the blade.

"My son." Nico turned to find a tall, pale man in black clothing. He held a stone cold face with long, tangle strands of black hair hanging in front of it. He was royal like, standing with power and authority in his posture. He was too familiar with his man, mainly because it was like looking into a mirror.

"Come," Hades, his father, ordered. "Walk with me."

He walked on without waiting on him. Nico quicken his paste to caught up with the Death Lord as he stormed out of the room and entered into the outside lab of his castle. Nico walked beside him, carrying the sword in an awkward angle. They traveled over a very well known path by both of them, one leading out into the south direction, to the River of Styx.

Nico knew the path well, since it used to be his own exit from the Underworld whenever he came and stayed there in order to help his father with any duties that he needed him in. He recalled those times with mixed emotions, the same ones he was having right now as he walked beside him. Two parts of his mind were running with two different sets of feelings that clashed with each other. One side was somewhat proud of himself, and felt as if it was a heart warming endearment out of the ordeal; like maybe his father was only here to tell him that he was proud of him, and expecting him to overpower this because he had that much faith in him. The other part was the exact polar point of view to the event. He was irritated by his father's presence there and at the fact that he pulled him here in some mysterious manner. He was annoyed that with the other emotions he had and that he felt angry for being annoyed by them.

He didn't have a very good relationship with Hades, but it was better then what most demigods had with their own godly parent. He defiantly had spent more time with him then most, but that didn't mean they were on the ideal terms for a father and son. Both of them were very stern and cold men, and a very hard to get to know and to open up to. Nico blamed yet admire that trait they share, as well.

They stayed on the path only visible in there minds. Neither spoke of anything; nothing was really that great to bring up at the moment. Nico knew that the topic on both there minds would be spoken of at the end of the walk. His father wasn't one to really care about his children, or at least show that he did. Nico discovered that early on.

They were passing the edge outskirts of the Fields of Asphodel; feet stomping on the black grass to sound out the moan of the lost soul from both their right. Nico causally glanced to it, recalling of his own journey into the fields to bring back Hazel, who ha been long gone and dead for a long time.

He thought over the idea that maybe he should bring up, then he decided against it. He glanced back, to the castle and farther beyond where he only traveled to once and promised himself that he would never do again.

They continued on to the entree through the Walls of Erebos. They passed through the dead spirits with ease, like they weren't there at all. They walked from underneath Cerberus who was actually standing still, and in an actually calm state. It set Nico off a bit, making his nerves even more jittery, but not as bad as the souls that surrounded him and his father. He was so used to the lively spirits in Oltre Malavita, how they walked and talked and acted as if death never conquered them, and then being around these spirits who were depressed and couldn't even speak... Well, it was unsettling.

They finally reached the hills, covered in black grass and trees, decaying down into a rushing river that was about ten feet wide. Nico recalled the many times he was there before then, one of the memories stood out the most, one he would probably want to forget.

He could still clearly vision how Percy dropped into the river, only keeping a connection to the world by a weak rope that was held by a younger Nico. He watched with a tighten heart and petrified soul as the son of the sea god just laid in the water calmly for a solid moment before he started to flinched and jerked in total pain. He shook his head as of it shook away the memory. It scary ass memory.

His father was standing close to the edge, looking down at the flow of the river like he was expecting something to happen. Nico stood behind him, off to the right. He was keeping his distance just in case something did just happen to attack. He glanced to the rushing water in from of him. The color was dark, black even. He wondered how badly did it hurt to bathed in the liquid.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything too important to you..." Hades finally spoke, his back still turned away from him.

_No_, Nico thought. _I_ _just had sex with the man I've been in love with for years and only had a few minutes afterwards to recollect my sense before popping back down here with you in this hellhole. No, you're just fine._

Nico kept it to himself and didn't respond. He continued looking at the river.

A long, unmoving moment of silence passed between the two. It would have been awkward, but Nico was too used to the quietness to be a stranger to it. He knew his father was the same.

"I have watched you over the years." Hades spoke again. "I understand that it seems that I am very absences in your life, but I have watched of how much you have grown all your life. You have have a respectable hero, my son."

Nico found that extremely odd. Sure, deep down, he knew his father might have checked in on how he was casually without his knowledge. It was somewhat of a flattering idea to have, before he got mad at himself for even caring. But what made him worried the most was the fact that his father was speaking highly of him. There had to something wrong.

"I know you didn't bring me here to compliment me-" Nico started.

"But I have also observed that, in order to for you to fully comprehend what is happening, I need to personally warn you." Hades glared back to him, barely moving his head to the side. "There is a war coming, my son, and it has been developing rapidly without you even expecting it."

_There's Hades_. Nico thought and almost smiled.

"The tyrants have fooled you. They have created an illusion as evil and misleading as the mist itself. When you and your army fought them three days ago, in what was assumed to be the suppose final battle to the end the fighting, many more men were left behind to travel off and invade the Underworld." Hades stated. "They have came into the Fields of Punishment and the Fields of Asphodel and gather men to join their forces through brides and promises of power. They have taken some of the worse souls to ever live to fight along with them, offering glory and honor in exchange for fighting from those greedy fools..."

His father was angry, obviously. He spoke the last part most to himself as he slowly turned back to the water. His black eyes were murderous, but his posture was still calm overall. Nico could understand his rage; he was embarrassed and boiling mad over the fact that he was tricked and cheated out of his own realm.

But one thing changed everything for his point of view on the problem.

"I don't understand." Nico stated. "What do you mean they invaded the Underworld?"

Hades turned to him, his eyes full of fury as he glared at the boy. Nico was used to the look so he didn't flinch to much at the sight. But still, a god glaring at him, especially the god that was his father, was fucking scary.

Nico was ready for the rampage and yelling till Hades's face eased down into a normal frown. He looked away for a moment before he turned back and looked more serious then mad.

"Nico, you are the ruler of Oltre Malavita." He went on. "The name mean 'Apart From the Underworld'. I found it appropriate, since I had created it to be for only a certain group that would be placed on the outskirts of my realm. But I'm afraid that the land has leveled up to a more fore fully part in it's title. During the Giant War, the land had somehow departed itself from the land of the dead in total and drifted itself off, away from my peer an control, and settled itself in the land that I cannot reach. With this action taking place, the land has became a gateway for any spirit who desires to exit or enter into my realm. It is another connection between the mortal world and the Underworld, where the supervision is nonexistent and the freedom for the dead is in total rule." Hades's eyes set dead onto Nico's; death black to midnight blue. "This has happened before and the result were no where near good. You, of all people, should understand this."

Nico stiffen. His breathing stopped. His heart quit. He felt like dying. Maybe even jump into the river and just let it burn him to nothing but ashes. This could not be happening...

"The Doors of Death..." He barely got it out. The idea of it was horrifying.

Hades nodded. "Like the first, whoever controls the set of doors has the ungodly ability to make certain spirits come and go as they want, the power to make the world of the living to be free of the lingering dead. This, my son, is what you have been ruling with any knowledge of so."

Nico was unbelievably shocked. He was about to faint. He didn't know how to properly to respond, or that he even should. He was literally sitting and living on the same thing he was sent to close three years ago, because it was the very thing to end the war for peace. And he didn't even know...

It's explained so much. How tyrants always kept coming back after death, along with his own men. How they just attacked into his city's border like they were running through air. They were right under him, using his land as a doorway into the mortal world as they please.

And that was the same reason why they had started this war in the first place: they wanted control over there passage way.

"The Tyrants... So that's why..."

"Yes." Hades nodded. "The so called tyrants want to take over your kingdom so they can take over mine.

They are driven by the simple hope of taking over my realm so they can control the dead for their own doing, whatever that may be."

"Well how can I stop this?" Nico asked, somewhat panicky.

"You have to stop this. And stop this alone."

"What?" Nico almost cried. "Why? Why can't Percy fight?"

Hades signed, like he was thinking: _Here were go again..._

"Nico, like I have stated earlier, I have been waiting you. I have seen what the Percy boy has done with you as well. Especially in the last battle, were he lost all control and it held a very pricey consequence." Hades said.

Nico couldn't look him in the eyes, looking away to the water. Yes, it's true, Percy's final trick against the enemy in the last attack was very helpful, but also costly. The hurricane wiped out almost all of the Mongol's men which was suppose to end the fighting, but it also caused the same effect for Nico's own men. The water, with that kind of force, ended many of the spirits lives for good. Nico had noticed the huge number of men gone when his own army returned to the castle after the battle. He had stayed out for the night to see those who would come back, but very little actually did.

He couldn't tell Percy about it. It would ruin him. He saw what happen to him after the death of so many during the Giant War, how the guilt effected him to his mental and emotion downfall. He couldn't tell. He wasn't even sure if it was true. There no facts to prove that this was caused by the hurricane... But nothing else explained it.

Nico most promised himself that he would never speak of it. He would take this secret to the grave for the love of his life. No one will ever know. He will make sure of it.

"Nico, I understand. The boy is very, very powerful. Very useful talented in warfare. But with his fatal flaw and his very strong emotional connection to you... And if you happened to fail... The outcome could be havoc." Hades looked at him with a cold stare. Nico stared back, staying silent. The agreement was made then, and they both knew that it was swore on that river beside them.

"I will assist you, since this war now effects me." He turned to the water and Nico followed him. "I have gather enough men to give you enough to match the one that the Tyrants have gathered. I have recruited about 30,000 men for the army, which should help you with the low number you have. This is now my war that you will fight for me, and yes, you will win."

Nico could have fainted. One thing he has learnt from living with his father is that, even though the last sentence sounded harsh, when he talked over events and things with his children involved, and linked it to myself in any way, it was the way he showed that he cared about it without showing or even saying it with that prideful or curious emotion.

His father was silent for a moment before holding out his hand. Nico knew what he was asking for and settled the sword's handle into his pawn. Hades took the blade and gave it a very long stare, like he was rethinking everything in the world, before turning to face Nico. His dark eyes were mean and cold, but he had a straight line on his lips instead of a frown. Nico didn't really know what to make of the face or what it represented, but he kept his the same way.

"I have also given you a weapon that you are very familiar with. You first saw this sword while it was still developing in working condition. My wife, who first came up with the idea, made you and my brother's children go off and receive it when it was once stolen from me. You only saw it again when you found it completed when you stumbled upon it in the forrest, like I wanted you too."

Nico stood there and almost gawked down at the blade that he didn't recognized right away. He first saw it as the polar of what the powerful blade was now, so he would have never guessed it. He thought his father destroyed the illegal weapon since it went against the treaty he had made with his godly brothers. Apparently not.

"I needed you to find this." Hades held up the sword. "And find Oltre Malavita so this war would begin, which also begin the plan to bring the land back into my power."

Hades gently handed him the blade which he accepted without hesitant. This was meant for him. The sword, the war... He had to end it all, because he was the only one who could.

"This sword will give you the ability to command the army of the dead. I will not be able to give you the army, rising it from the ground, I mean. You will have to do that yourself with this." He pointed to his weapon. "You have done it before, so I believe you will have no trouble with that. I cannot help you more from that, other then keeping those who die fully in my realm where they belong. I will only do my usual job when it comes to the dead."

"Thank you, father." Nico said, barely able to keep eye connect.

"It's what I need to do." The god walked away from him in a slow paste. Nico only studied the blade and started to think over battle strategies that he could use with the division of men he had in mind. He would defiantly need to come up with more sneaky tricks since they would be expecting him to repeat the same ones he used before.

"I will not fail you, father." Nico stated without thinking first.

"I know, my son." Hades responded. "But, to make it most defiant, one more tactic must be made for your success."

Before Nico could even ask, he felt a force on his back and was shoved into the river of Styx.

He landed into acid, he thought at first. His skin felt as if it was burning away into ashes. His mind boiling like oil, making his vision black with nothing but pain to really have.

Nico thought of his life, in a way. He saw his sister and mother in Italy, back when life was good. He saw his friends sitting in the grass with the Agro II off to the side, all of them laughing and smiling. He saw his people in his kingdom, waving and screaming up to him with proud grins. He saw Percy in his chamber back in Oltre Malavita, looking at him with those beautiful eyes. He titled his head, smirking a bit.

"_Hey there._" He greeted him. "_I haven't seen you all day. How have you been?"_

Nico couldn't respond, but he felt something pull his out of the pain by looking into those irises of sea green beauty. He then recalled everything of his life; his name, his position, his struggles, his defeats, along with his strengths, and his wins. He recalled the pain an love he felt over the years, along with the sadness and happiness. It cleared his mind enough to vision a spot on the back of his knee. It was small, guarded. He had already been strike there many times, so it would be unexpected for that to be his spot.

"_Come on, darling._" Percy held out his hand lazily, his wonderful smile directed at him. "_Come here. Be with me_."

Nico took his hand and soon saw him being lifted up to the world, landing down in the grass. He could barely breath as his vision slowly unfazed onto his father's face. His ears were still ringing a high pitch ringing before he could make out what the god said to him, before he was cased away into the shadows into the darkness.

Nico found himself in his bed the next second. He jumped up into a sitting position, breathing heavily. He looked around and found it to be true, hoping he wasn't seeing things again. He felt some pain in his arms and legs, but it was slowly subsiding into a numb sensation.

He turned to his left to find the bare back of Percy Jackson who was sleeping soundly, his body slowly moving up and down.

Nico looked at him and felt a knot form in his stomach, along with his mind making a decision. He loved him, loved so much...

Nico soon rose up from the bed with ease. He found himself still dressed in the clothes he appeared in the Underworld in, but didn't mind anymore. He reached for paper and pen and wrote him a note for when he woke up. The sun was slowly coming over the horizon, so he expected it to be soon.

_Dear Darling,_

_Get dressed and go down to the base this morning. I have send scouts out to the outskirts and yo_u _will help the men look for them later on. I have much to tell you._

_Nico_

He left the room then, walking directly to the base on the castle's grounds. It's were all the soldiers lived, and where Bradshaw would be that the time. He made his way there, only to find half of them awake and the rest still sleeping and hung over. Bradshaw greeted him first, which made the rest of them stand and salute. Nico dismissed them and walked over to Bradshaw.

"Send out scouts, tell them to go as far as they can in all of the directions. Come back at nightfall, and report what they find. Make a few men stay out for their return." Nico ordered. "After you have done that, bring your maps. We need to began making a strategy."

"Is there a war coming, my lord?" Bradshaw asked as he laced his boots.

"Yes." Nico answered. "Tell them to be prepared."

"And you know this how?"

"A very loyal source."

"Oh?" Bradshaw raised a brow. "And who would that be?"

"My father." Nico stalked away before being asked anymore questions. He heard Bradshaw call out orders behind him as he made his way out, heading back to the castle to put the most important detail in his plan for victory to action.

He felt terrible doing this, but he had to. Percy couldn't stay, especially with this war were the possibility for his survival and his people's right to rest in peace were unclear and probably low.

He couldn't take the chance of him losing control again and having him finally noticing what he has done. It would ruin him and Nico refused to let that happen again. He was a valuable warrior and the people would miss him, but Nico knew this was the right thing to do.

His hero will live on as a hero forever. Even if his own death come, Nico will make sure it happens.

He entered back into the castle. The ghost working in the kitchen were speeding around as normal. He dodged them as he always did and came into the dinning hall to find no one there yet. He made his way back up stairs to find the exact person he needed coming down with messy hair and in guest night clothes.

He had to make sure that to get Percy out of Oltre Malavita, and he couldn't do that alone. His love would eventfully catch on to what he was doing and fight him on it. He had to have a partner in the plan, so make it less suspicious of what he was really doing.

He couldn't go to Jason because he would want to talk it out and not sneak around. Hazel wouldn't be able to do it without demanding to stay with him, in place of his hero and that couldn't happen. And Annabeth was out of the equation.

Reyna stopped herself before stepping onto the first step went she saw him.

Nico trusted Reyna a great deal. After their shared experience during the Giant War, he declared her a good friend and loyal collage that he could depend on, and he hoped it was vice versa with her.

"I need to ask you of something." He stated bluntly.

"Good morning to you, too." She sassed him playfully. She smiled at him in a friendly way.

He returned it. "Come on. I'll take you to my bedroom."

"Okay." She nodded and followed him down the hall.

He tried to keep his swift beating heart from breaking as he thought over what he was about to do. He had to do this. He had to. For Percy, for his kingdom, for his father...

They came into the room and Nico went straight into the window. Reyna stood behind him and for a moment, everything was still and quiet like death.

Nico finally turned and told her about what happened last night with his father. He told her everything about the Tyrants and the huge battle that will take place soon.

He told her that it would be deadly and brutal. That he might not making it himself...

"That's why we have to take Percy out. He can be apart of this. I have to do it alone." Nico stated more to himself then the praetor in front of him. "We have to trick him into it or he'll never go. I don't care how we do it. We just have to do it."

"I understand." She nodded again. "We will."

"And he can't come back." Nico added in. "Even if I die. Do you promise me this?"

"Yes." Reyna stated.

"Swear on the river of Styx."

"I swear on the river of Styx that I will take Percy out of Oltre Malavita." She swore without hesitant. "For good."

{...}

Author Note

Thanks for reading, please review and all that sweet jazz.

Okay, three things to cover...

1.) How was the sex seen? It was the first time I ever wrote one and I hope it was good enough for y'all. If not, tell me how to improve it.

2.) I want to apologize for the last chapter. I know it sounded as if I made Annabeth a bad character, and I promise I didn't mean to do so. I like her, and I understand if some of you don't, that's your option, and you have a right to have it. But I'm sorry if I made anyone made from it. I was trying to write this in a realistic way. I see her reacting to everything happening in this way with her mixed emotions, mainly because I saw myself acting that way. I'm sorry if it offended anyone. I didn't mean too.

3.) I have been recently connected by BleedingJoyfulInsanity, who had done a life like drawing of Percy's tattoo. It's on tumblr, under the user name of BleedingJoyfulInsanity, under the tags of "into a new light" and "marigold". It's pretty cool, and extremely beautiful. Thanks you, BleedingJoyfulInsanity, if you're reading this. I greatly appreciate it.

Thanks again for reading! Please review!

-LF


	18. Chapter 18

Reyna wondered if what she got herself into that morning. And how the hell did it happened so fast?

It was literally in about a ten minute period-the first ten minutes of her day actually-when she woke up, fought with her hair, tried to remember where the dinning hall was, saw Nico, heard the end of the world, and swore an oath on the river of Styx to complete the mission or die trying.

Gods, she needed a vacation. Or just breakfast. That least she was getting one of the two.

She was sitting in one of the grand chairs at the long wooden table. She stuffed her face with the delicious bread and ham, not being able to remember the last time she had such a good meal. She, in her night gown and messy hair, sat across Hazel who was diagonal to Nico. They ate while talking, mainly between the two children of the death God. Hazel went overboard with her questions over everything in Nico's life in the past three years. She barely ate because of it and Nico, who did look generally happy with her, answered them all in a short reply, but his tone was light and quiet, like he wasn't fully awake.

Reyna always took that in notice when Nico was around. He was always tired, or well, he always looked tired anyway. Back when she first met him, she could have sworn he was homeless. He was in baggy, dirty clothing with a boney body frame. His cheek were hallow and there were huge black bags under his eyes. He looked like the waking dead, so it wasn't surprising when he claimed to be the son of Pluto.

Later on, when they went on there quest to Camp Half Blood, he looked even worse. He was canceling the shadows more, taking away his life force and causing him more pain. Reyna felt it every time they shadow traveled to a new location and almost cried from the pain, which was only a slice of what he was really experiencing.

The son of Hades had a better looking appearance now. It didn't seem real to her, how healthy and happy he looked. He was always pale, but now it wasn't as sickly looking as before. He frowned, like his mouth was permanently set downward, but he attempted to smile more. Now he had a fuller face, with his eyes opened wider but still hidden behind dark strains of hair. He was also taller and more muscular which blew her mind more. But that was last night, when they four finally met him again after three years of absence.

Now, yes, he was still lean with muscles, but she even more so now then he was last night. She wasn't completely sure why, but it put her off guard in a way, like knowing why was making her really nervous. Also with his overnight change, his skin was whiter then before, like instead of ivory, it was now snow.

She knew the reason why, and tried her best not to stare too much. It still seemed surreal to her that the boy she once knew was now a great hero who dipped in the river of Styx.

How the hell did the boney fourteen year old boy that she befriended so long ago turned in a seventeen year old king of the dead?

_Gods, I'm old._ Reyna thought.

She looked across the table to find it the same way for Hazel who was thirteen when they first met in Camp Juniper. Now she was sixteen with a promise ring and more curls in her hair. She was taller too, and so, so pretty, like she was actually becoming a young lady.

_Jesus Christ, stop the madness! _Reyna almost dropped her fork.

Nico sat in the chair beside her with his black riding pants and white shirt. He also had a robe on that was made of black lace and made scrapping noises whenever he moved. He looked peaceful. Or well, as peaceful as you can be in the morning with a sister nagging at you. He didn't seem to mind at all, maybe even enjoyed a bit.

Reyna noticed something odd about the robe when it shimmered too much in the sunlight. She reach out for a certain spot that did so and realized that there were blood red rubies woven around the fabric somehow.

"Oh mine!" Reyna exclaimed as she realized what they were.

"Oh yeah." Nico said, like it was a small factor he forgot. "These have jewels in them."

"That explains why my senses have been going insane since you sat down." Hazel held the same tone.

Nico shrugged. "Normally, I don't wear it. It's too long, so I let Percy wear most of the time. He likes it."

"Oh." It was Reyna's only reply.

It was so clear to see, so painfully obvious, it emotionally hurt her. She knew, or at least expected, what was between Nico and Percy. She knew that Jason was on the same theory as her. Maybe a little faster then she was on it, but still. She didn't know what Annabeth thought about it; she doubted that she even really saw it all for what it just yet. Hazel was blinded by the greatness of her brother being back, or what she thought as him being back. She hate to be the one to break it to her, but of Nico ever came back from Oltre Malavita... Reyna wasn't sure if that was exactly possible.

30,000 soldiers... Dead, ghost soldiers. This war will be very big, and there is no stopping it.

Nico soon finished after Reyna and Hazel, taking the rest of his water in one huge gulp. He glanced over his shoulder to the hallway and staircase. He seemed nervous to her, pursing his lips into a thin line. He looked back at Hazel and her, like he was ready to ambit all his sins to them.

"How's... Annabeth taking this?" He carefully asked, like the questions would cause chaos to breakout if he didn't say it right. Reyna wondered it that was true or not.

Reyna looked over to Hazel before responding. The answer was clearly agreed between the two.

Annabeth, in Reyna's honest and god given option, had every right to be upset about the situation at hand. She had lost someone who was not only apart of a total of eight years of her life, but a part of herself that was not only implanted into her being and also Percy's. Reyna tried to image herself into the position and found herself reacting in the same way, with or without the knowledge of the real type of relationship that Percy and Nico shared. She wasn't sure how she could fully explain it, especially since she was going through it herself... Well, this time, at least.

She recalled how many mixed, screwed emotions she felt when she saw Jason come off the Argo II with the beautiful Piper, his new girlfriend. She figured that she would be in flames in angers and rip the whole place apart, making even Gaea tremble.

Yet... She found herself only sad and heartbroken. Yes, it still hurt so badly, but she got through it, especially when she thought she couldn't.

She was just happy to see him again, alive and well. And she was happy that he was happy, even if it was with Piper. She wanted a romantic relationship with him, yes, but she valued their long living friendship more then something that was obliviously not meant to be.

But that was her own experience; Annabeth's was _very_ different then her own.

"I didn't _mean_ to do it." Nico said sadly. "What was I suppose to do? Nothing?"

"Don't worry about it." Reyna patted him on his shoulder. "Everything will be okay."

He only nodded. He didn't looked completely convinced with her advice. She really wished she could make everything right in the problems they all held now. The war, the drama... Reyna never liked conflict. She found it the very factor that will never resolved anything, only causing the issues to escalate more on a higher level of damage and intensity. It went fully against her natural leader instincts, making her lose her control and power over the order of things, which only cause pure chaos.

She hated that; not being able to fix anything that causes mayor conflict between people. She wanted to fix everything, to protect everyone. She hated seeing people in trouble, at the high stack at being mistreated or taken advance of, when they're innocent and just need help. She had been in the position before, and she hated it, looking back on it with absolute loathing of herself and her stupidity at the whole time.

_Damn pirates_, she thought with annoyance. She hated herself for the event and promised herself that she would learn from her mistake and make a great effect to prevent others from doing her own wrong decision. She liked order, justice; that's how she became Praetor. Or, well, that's how she thought she became praetor... That what's she would like to think.

"Would you like to help me?" Nico asked both of them. Reyna snapped her head over to him. He looked tired, with darker then normal bags under his eyes. Maybe his royal job was more stressful then she assumed.

"With what?" Hazel asked. "Anything."

"I need to lay out some battle strategies." He answered. "I don't know when this is all coming so I need to get it done soon."

"Okay." Reyna didn't mind. It was better then doing nothing. That and she was afraid of Annabeth and Jason coming down and the conflict of last night would continue on this morning.

She knew Annabeth well enough that she was hurt and she just needed some down time to fix her emotions. Reyna could only pray that they turn out like she wanted it to be; for not only her own longing desires but also for everyone's good. She liked Annabeth, even more then she should, but either way, she wanted the best for her friend. She suffered more then mortals-more then demigods-and she deserved a break. Yes, Percy offered that for awhile, but now it was clearly no longer good for either of them. They both needed to be parted for a period of time before attempting to be any kind of acquaintances to one another. They both needed escapes from what they both gone through, since each other's presents were nothing but reminders of the hard times.

Reyna hoped to be that escape for her, through friendship or romantic relations. She hoped for the later option.

She turned to the male beside her and watched him as he glanced over to the staircase on the other side of the room, leading from the north wing, which was also the wing Nico and Percy settled themselves into last night. Reyna wondered if they shared a room that night.

She watched him as took four solid seconds, waiting for Percy to arrive or not. He looked hopeful even, like he was longing for the son of Poseidon to come be with him, since their time was now very limited together.

Reyna wanted that. That look, that longing... She had discovered that morning when Nico made her the deal, and after hearing his story with Percy the night before, that the two held what she desired for in her life, with her unknown love, whoever it may be.

Love was being so committed and so passionate about someone that they have imprinted into your brain and poisoned your blood, to where you have reached the very tip of madness, and they have become your ultimate obsession, conquering your mind to no sign of escape. They had became your source of not only acceptance and salvation. They had became your desperate need for commutation in not only casual studies but in a deeper aspect, considering the emotions and soul. They had become the very totem of love, your only proof of the strong, undoubtable affection you have erupting inside your body; the same one directed towards them at all times, almost like a unbreakable railing rope, keeping you close to them and always pulling you in closer in the slightest inch possible.

And yet, through the impossible strain you live for with the other human being, you let go, just so they live on without you.

Reyna had learnt that love was putting their needs and desires before your own, because nothing is more precious then them being safe and sound and loved, even of it wasn't from you. She learnt that from Nico.

He stood, with Reyna and Hazel following. She noticed him still glancing to the staircase before exiting the room into a long hallway with a large room at the end. Reyna soon saw a tall man in patted leather armor. He was a spirit, with his pale, see-through skin, and he was looming over the large squared table with serval maps crawled out. He was the same one from last night, with the beautiful woman in the saloon.

"Good morning, Bradshaw." Nico greeted him.

"Morning my lord." The general greeted back, nodding over to Reyna and Hazel with a scowl.

Reyna approached the table, noticing how Nico had grown to be even paler next to the spirit, looking as if he was one himself. The Ghost King...

"Have you thought of anything yet?" Bradshaw asked.

"No." Nico responded. "I'm afraid of using what we had before. They'll expect it."

Reyna titled her head and lean over the map of the land as well. "Where do they normally attack from?"

"The bridge." Bradshaw pointed to the endless stream. "They know that we build it to see the enemy clearly from a far distance, since the land is somewhat hilly when you go out farther."

"Will the build hold with 30,000 solider marching on it?" Hazel asked.

"Most likely not." Nico said.

"We can try to seepage the men and have them face each major direction." She tapped her fingernail on the four sides of the castle.

"But, as far as we know, the tyrant don't know about your father helping us with our men supply, so we can trick them. We can make it look like we're out numbered and surprised them with a sudden new bunch of them coming up." Bradshaw suggested.

"They might do they same tactic with y'all though." Hazel stated, her southern accent thick.

"We need to find a way to wipe them out without using so much man power." Nico looked deep in thought as he scanned the maps. "What can we do?"

The four had brainstormed over the idea for what seemed like very little time. Most of the theories they developed were declared to weak and were cased away. Reyna noticed that Nico and Bradshaw worked well together, like they really had been doing this for years.

"We can just use your Perseus when they get close enough to the bridge and dismiss the fire balls tactic." Bradshaw voiced.

Reyna didn't say anything as she glanced over to Hazel. She was sure the younger girl knew about Nico dream encounter last night with his father and the news he brought with him. Reyna wasn't going to tell anyone about the promise between her and the king, but Hazel knew that this wasn't something to discuss over. Percy had to leave before the battle. It had to be done.

But still, she also saw that look of confusion in Hazel's eyes about the "Your Perseus" statement. Reyna knew what it meant but she wasn't sure if that was the same with Hazel.

"He's not fighting." Nico stated.

"My lord, with all due respect, please don't be this way. Not with this battle." Bradshaw looked at him long and hard. "The boy is brilliant on the field with a sword and he wipes them out completely. That and the people have more hope with him there. We need him, my lord."

Reyna didn't find that to shocking. What he said was completely true; Percy was a dream warrior for any general or king, especially with his godly powers. Everyone knew it, and that did give people hope. She saw it with her own army in the Giant War.

"My father has demand Percy's leave from Oltre Malavita before the battle." Nico said, not looking at any of them.

"Why?"

"They don't get along." Nico left it as that.

"Have we upset him?"

"No, the tyrants have." Nico explained.

Bradshaw only nodded, though he still looked uneasy about the news. The expression was a stranger to his face, Reyna could tell.

"And that does not leave this room." He glanced back to the two girls. "We don't need this to get public."

They all nodded on agreement. They continued on with their work till the doors open again to relieve two tired looking blondes. Reyna felt her chest tighten at the sight of Annabeth. She was dress in shorts and a t-shirt with her hair pulled back into a messy bun. She looked stunning in the lazy attire. She glanced over to Jason, who held an irked expression.

Reyna then glanced over to Nico who looked uncomfortable in the spot. He didn't know to speak or not, and if so, what to say.

"Did you two sleep well?" He asked unsurely.

"Yeah. That's the problem." Jason replied. "It's the first time I laid in a comfortable bed in two weeks. I didn't want to leave but the mean maid made me."

"Sorry." Nico said, not really sounding sorry.

"My lord, you never intruded me to you're friends..." Bradshaw voiced the concerned.

"Oh yes." Nico pointed to Hazel. "This is Hazel, she's my sister, daughter of Pluto."

"I thought you were a son of Hades."

"I am, but I still declare her as my sister."

"Then she will be treated as royalty here, for however long she stays." Bradshaw bowed to her. The young girl flashed a smirked to the others.

"This is Jason, son of Jupiter." Nico waved to him.

Bradshaw looked worried. "Sir, it might not be wise to have sons of your father's enemies here in the kingdom."

"They're my friends, Bradshaw. Father knows that."

"But sir..." Bradshaw mumbled.

"Beside, they will be gone soon, I'm sure father won't mind to much." Nico insisted.

"Sir..."

"And this is Annabeth," Nico went on. _Great subject change there,_ Reyna thought giggly. "She's the daughter of Athena."

"Aw, the wisdom goddess. Tell me girl, do you believe this is wise to-"

"Bradshaw!" Nico warned as the rest laughed. "And this is Reyna, daughter of Bellona."

Reyna offers a small smile to the general who returns it with a thin line of his lips.

"What are you guys doing?" Annabeth asked. Reyna loved the way her eyes lighten up when she caught sight if the colorful maps with battle drawn out on them.

"Planning out our attack for battle." Hazel replied. "Would you like to help?"

Annabeth actually smiled a bit. She nodded. Reyna smiled too, and she noticed Nico eased down with his slowly calming nerves.

_Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay_. Reyna smiled more.

"Where's Percy?" Jason asked and Reyna's smile flatten. She notice how both Annabeth and Nico tensed at the question, causing everyone else so tighten up too.

"He's out with my men to look out for the scouts. I was coming here when they headed off for the landscapes of the south." Bradshaw explained.

That eased everyone down. The boy glanced to Reyna, who was glaring at him with rage. He whimpered an apology.

"Okay." Annabeth rubbed her hands. "What do we have here."

Nico explained the tactics they thought of and the few they decided to use. She was in the zone, with her gray eyes in tight slants as she worked out everything in her head. Reyna found herself staring and looked back down.

"What's this?" She pointed to the small pile of hay that laid out onto the wooden bridge.

"We had the idea to made very big balls of hay to set on fire and roll them down to bridge." Nico explained. "That way, the tyrants can either get burn or jump into the water. They die either way."

They were all confused by that. They looked at Nico for an explanation. The son of Hades signed before explaining exactly how they won the last battle with Percy's power. Reyna found it somewhat shocking. Yes, Percy was powerful, it was bluntly clear to everyone he encounter, but she didn't realize he was the key to absolute victory for the people of Oltre Malavita. She understood why they wanted Percy to stay so much.

Nico went on to telling Annabeth and Jason about his encounter with his father last night and how he would helpfully assents the kingdom with his ghost army. Reyna noticed how he didn't mention about what his father said about Percy and his leave of Oltre Malavita.

"That's... Worrisome." Annabeth but her lip. She seemed really concerned about Oltre Malavita now, like she actually like the place, and didn't blame it, or it's leader, for Percy's disappearance.

"It is somewhat." Nico shrugged. "But will win, as long as we find a way for it."

"Then let's get busy." Jason stated. The four demigods and one spirit went to work. Annabeth came up with great structures of sneak attacks and Nico, who knew the land, knew exactly the best place for them all. Jason conduct the battle formations and where they would be most useful in the areas that were available. Hazel helped Nico come up with ways to dissolves the enemy spirits an protect his own. They all worked together greatly, and Reyna loved the sight.

They was no way Nico couldn't win, especially with the element of surprise on their side. As far as they knew, the tyrants were in the stage of complete arrogance and obliviousness to the fact that Oltre Malavita was preparing for the war. They thought they were at the advantage but with everything on the map and all the solid plans being thrown out... The battle was theirs. Reyna was actually excited for it, and was wishing that she was fighting in it, or at least see the battle.

She felt herself smile as she looked down at the map, letting herself get hopeful for the win, which rarely ever happened for her. She caught blonde hair dazzling beside her and caught the daughter of Athena looking at her. She smiled more, which was reflected by the pretty girl.

Just then, a burst loud shuffling movements, followed by a sharp slam of the large front doors echoed through the halls and rattled the room they were in. Everyone stopped and listened as men called out commands and things cluttered to the ground.

"_Clear the table!"_

_"We need medical attend!"_

_"He needs help!"_

"_Nico_!"

Nico dashed out of the room before Reyna fully comprehend that the call came from Percy. She went off, along with Hazel, after all the others who were racing down to hall to the dinning room.

Reyna arrived to find about three spirits hovering over a smaller spirit, maybe a young teenage male, who was lying on the table. He looked badly wounded which worried and confused her. She stood still and away from the madness. Percy was running back with nectar and ambrosia as Bradshaw took his man's hand. Apparently, the boy was burnt on his legs, which didn't make sense to her since he was a spirit but she kept quiet about it.

"What happened?" Nico asked.

"We went off to get him. All the other scout never came back so we went searching and found him in the grass like this." The solider explained.

The young man winced and held back his sobs as Percy slightly brushed the nectar over his burn marks. The son of the sea God looked up to them all and gave a face that told them the boy's fate.

Bradshaw held the boy's unwounded arm and thanked him for his serves as he harshly took in breath. It sounded so painful.

The boy took Bradshaw by the arm and lowered him down to his level. The boy whispered something in his with an almost silent voice. Bradshaw soon parted from him as he faded off, into nothing more then fog that was soon gone.

There was a moment of silence for the boy, the air as still as glass. Bradshaw was the one to break it.

"He found out some information for us." He stated coldly. "He found out that they will attack tomorrow, at dawn."

More silence came. Reyna glance out of the window to find it nearly noon. Her hopefully feeling died, along with that boy on the table.

"We must prepare then." Nico stated. "Gather all the generals. Get the soldiers ready. Being the people into town. We don't have much time, so go." Bradshaw and the soldiers ran off to do the commands. He turned to Percy. "Go to the boy's family and get them the honors. Then come right back."

Percy nodded and ran off. The others were starting to wonder back to the hall while Reyna made eye contact with Nico. The message was clear.

The plan will be taken into action tonight.

{...}

Thanks for reading!

Also, how is the whole M rated thing going for y'all? Is it alright? I just want to make sure. Thanks.

Also, please check out BleedingJoyfulInsanity's drawing of Percy's tattoo. It's on tumblr, under the tags of "into a new light" and "marigold". Thanks you, BleedingJoyfulInsanity, if you're reading this. I greatly appreciate it.

Thanks again! Please Review!


	19. Chapter 19

The night wasn't long enough for them. Percy could never have enough time with him. His body, his touch... Gods, he loved him. He loved him so much.

After he arrived back from the family of the boy, he found Nico back into the hall, planning for battle tomorrow. He longed to in there with him, wanting to be near him even more then his usual obsession, but he decided against it. He traveled off to the army base instead where he trained with the soldiers. He was soon done there for the day, mostly to let the men go home to there families. Percy did the same and arrive into the dinning hall before anyone else. He was starving and tired and could use the alone time.

It wasn't long before the others arrived. Nico sat across from him at the end of the table, his dark Adonis God leading the way. That's when Percy noticed his nonidentical mien, striking him straightaway. His lover's skin has whiten into a vanilla color, harshening his charcoal tassels. He was taller, with leaner muscles developed in her slender arms and chest, causing for his clothes to fit tighter then normal. He felt a thrill of erotic incitation from the sight, but his cautious awareness overpowered his desire. He has seen a transformation once before and was very familiar with it. He knew what he has done.

Those midnight blue eyes cut into his after he sat down. They soon became deep and slightly blameworthy. Percy broke the strain before anyone noticed it. He wasn't mad. He just wanted to know how.

Dinner went on with little talk from anything other then the war, and even then it was very short. He was well aware that he was the cause for the stilted quietness. He had been the cause for it for years now. He knew they were all unsure of his stability and did not know how to act. They have played the game for years, making him feel more like the black sheep then he ever felt in school or anywhere else. None of them directly spoke to him, barely looking at him either. They still where blind to how he had improved, and he doubted that they will ever see it. It only made him hate everything more.

Only Nico looked up to him, in the eyes. Percy noticed how he would stare off into his own mind as he messed with the food on his plate. He didn't eat much of it, only tossing it around. Percy would studied him long enough for him to notice and look at him. He would smile like nothing was wrong, wait for him to smile back. He would and then they go back to the food, in the act of repeating the rote.

Dinner ended shortly. Annabeth was the first to excuse herself, then asked for directions to the library. Funny, Percy had took very little observance of her existence near him. It seemed foreign to not do so, especially after last night when he was well able and willing to kill her. He just didn't care anymore, he figured. He tried, and that's all he could do.

Jason was next, then Reyna and Hazel. Soon it was just him and Nico. He waited for the two girls to be completely gone, Reyna walking down the hall as Hazel went up the stairs, before turning back to his King.

Nico let out a heavy sigh as he put his face into his hands. He roughly rubbed his forehead and relieved his eyes, only covering his nose and mouth. His solid and cold mask of authority had dusted off and Percy saw a fretted and exhausted King that looked like he had truly aged about fifty or so years. He leaned back into his chair and breath in and out deeply.

He opened his eyes to Percy, who tired to smile for him. The lovely pearl couldn't help but notice the odd light that illuminated his eyes, something that flickered inside those irises that he had never seen before. They were still exquisite in the candle light though, throwing him back to there first dinner together, where it all began.

The servant came out with two glasses of grape colored liquid and set it before them both. They were filled to the rim, which was odd to him. He never drunk wine before but he always thought that the glass would be filled particularly. He didn't bother to speak his concern, since he saw Nico take a tiny sip of it. It was a classic, almost exotic, sight. Percy tired it for himself, finding the taste somewhat bitter, but he didn't mind.

It was like that for awhile. Percy would sit there, starting at the glass, debating rather to take a dream again. He would even glance over to his white ink tattoo that had grown into a norm for him. But looked up to Nico more, watching as the man, with his pale stressed face and dark looming eyes, stare at his glass as he frequently took sips to where it was halfway gone. He was getting intoxicated and more worried. Percy just wanted to take that away from him.

"Let's go up to the room." Percy finally spoke. Nico looked up to him and, once he saw what he was offering through his eyes, soon nodded.

They left the glasses on the table as Percy came around and took his hand, fastidious leading him to the golden path of their getaway. He tired to keep his pace steady and careful. He was still sore from the night before and had discovered some marks when he first woke up. He wasn't sure if Nico had gotten his hint, and it was alright if he wasn't in the mood, but if tomorrow's battle was truly going to be brutal, he wanted to spend his possibly last night with him, in love and slightly under the influence.

They reached the opening of the hallway when Nico stopped. Percy was given the lightest nudge in his protest, before fully facing him, pale fingers pulled at his shirt.

Percy looked around to make sure they were alone before cupping his face, foreheads touching. He wasn't exactly fond of the secrete of their real relationship, but he didn't want to cause Nico and him anymore remote exclusiveness from the visiting group. Nico seemed to care less also, voicing his complaint as his fingers snaked around his waist, riling him in closer.

"No." Nico said, his warm breath casting out onto his lips and flooding his mind. "My room."

Percy nodded as he tucked away those lovely locks. He loved the feeling of them in his hands, feathery and volumetric, like running his hands through a majestic lion's mane.

"Okay." Percy refused the yearn to kiss him and pulled him along west wing, where his room was located.

They walked in unison, hand and hand, perfectly laced together fingers. Percy found it odd; they have never done this before. He could see them doing it in a park as they take a stroll or so, but it was still the first they even done it in there however long relationship.

Percy came into the room first, stunned again by its giant size in space and elaborate design. He had only been in it a few time before, the first feature he saw everything time being the luxurious balcony that was framed by dark, cloying window doors that let in the sight of the sea crushing onto its remote, romantic lover of the beach. He like to think that of Nico and him; the land being loved by the ocean with each crush, as if it was a short yet longing kiss, leaving its stain to the sand, where the sea and land meet.

He let go of Nico's hand and walked over to the bed, not trusting him to go over to the sight just yet. The image had nothing compared to his King standing in front of the mirror, running his perfect pale fingers through his hair. Nico's dark eyes caught his, and instead of smiling, he just looked at his with that tired expression. Percy rose when he looked away. He didn't like this at all, wanting it to be solved, even for the time being. And he knew exactly how to do that.

Percy gingerly took steps to approach his lover from behind, taking advantage of the fact his head was down and hanging over the water bowl. He lightly placed his hands on his arms, near his shoulder, and straighten him up. Nico obeyed and returned his sight to the mirror as Percy rest his chin on his shoulder, softly breathing into the aim of his ear and left side of the face. He felt him ease under his touch, yet his heart pounded and his breathing slowed and deepen.

Gods_, _he'sstressed_. _Percy thought as his chest perceived the variation.

He slid his arms to his chest, through the underway of his arms and gently traced his collarbone and biceps.

"Percy..." His voice was barely a decent whisper. He had turned to face him.

"You're stress..." Percy breathed as he delicately pulled his lover closer to him, arcing his foot to take the first step back towards the bed. "Let me take that away from you..."

That's how he had finished himself to the current time. He laid in the light covers with Nico over him, feeling as if he could spend all of eternally in this moment and desired to do so. They had conducted the love making three time, the final one being where Percy himself took control. They were heavily breathing, their exhales of breath stumbling pass their lips.

Percy was completely out of energy, finding it to be incredibly hard to keep his lead weighted eyelids open. He felt more swore then he was before but he enjoyed the pain, smiling whenever he thought of it.

He breathed as he sunk farther into the comfort of the large bed, as he ran his fingers through Nico's silky hair. He looked up to find the loveliest of views. He couldn't even explain why the sensational bliss from looking at him was so strong, so overbearing to his being. Nico was young again, all the worried lines and tension now vanished from his face. His eyes were dilated and his lips with redder then normal, also swollen from sucking viciously and biting harshly. There were marks scattered across his torso that were marked by the sea spawn's own swollen lips.

When both their breathing settled into their original routine, Percy let his white inked hand slip down to the back of his lover's neck and up to his damped with sweat cheek. Nico leaned into his touch, letting Percy grace his thumb over his lips. Nico took gently hold of if his hand and kissed it tenderly. He looked exquisite in the moonlight coming from the open doors of the balcony. They brought out the true hue of his eyes, the same color of the night sky.

Percy loved him. Gods, how could he not? Nico was so loving, so caring... Yet firm in everything he does, like he was born with a driven passion for it. Percy loved that about him; that he was so invested into everything he did, and so committed to everyone he loved. He would never show it though, not too much anyway, and only to that certain person if so. He was a private person was a dark cover that only match his parentage. But the true relieve of his truly marvelous, wonderful, amazing character was secretly identified in his surname: Di Angelo. "The Angel" in Italian, and it fit him so perfectly.

Percy found himself calling him that inside his own mind, in the English translation. He was truly an angel, Percy's personal guardian, straight from heaven. He supported him with unbreakable, unconditional love and care, never focusing on his flaws but instead accepting them and embracing, declaring them as beautiful features of his self that he found so aesthetically pleasing, heroically admiring. It was the same broken and ungodly hero that Percy himself found only a disgusting, self loathing piece of shit that had nothing because he was nothing.

Nico was the one to change him of that hard belief, to save him from himself and make him better. Nico had made him accept himself and understand what he wrong about. Why he was more then shit, why he deserved to have a good, peaceful life more then anyone when he only thought that he deserved the polar punishment-a painful, merciless death.

Nico saved him. How the hell could he ever even begin to prevent himself from falling in love with the only good thing in his life?

Nico had done so much for him, even before Oltre Malavita, even before he realized it himself. Nico had loved him for so long and done so much for him that Percy couldn't even believe it. Nico had literally done everything for Percy, even went through fucking hell in the hopeful mission to save Percy from the pain that he was so willing to bring on to himself, just so he won't have to. And Percy didn't even have a clue of it. He was to busy with his other lover at the time.

But now that was all different. Percy had seen the light and realized that Nico had been meant for him. He was his angel, his savior. Nico was meant to be with him and Percy loved that. He could bare the thought of him being away from him in anything. It was his dream, his destiny, his promise from Nico that he knew would never be broken.

Because they shared the same future together: a forever long life in the beautiful land of Oltre Malavita, forever in love and forever in peace.

Percy felt himself floating off into his dream that was forever his reality and future, with the soft feeling of Nico's skin caressing him and the warm fire like flame in his body that was so comforting to him. He loved this life... He loved him... So, so much.

Nico looked down at him, gliding his hand over to Percy's other hand, lacing the perfect fingers together in heavenly reunion. The King whispered to his painted hand. "Get dressed darling." He said. "Come out to the balcony."

Percy nodded, letting Nico slip away from him as he the man stood to dress himself. Percy enjoyed the sight of his bare body, pale and soft skinned. He forced himself away from the image and stood up. He slid on his pants and the blue shirt he wore earlier that day. He stiffly walked to the mile long balcony leaning over the black iron railing as he view over the ocean and the land blending into one. He studied the houses below, some with lights on, some were dark and soundless. It still seemed lively though, like he was really in the moral world with living people. The spirits here were better then the people he had encountered in the living world.

He felt a light, ropey fabric cover his shoulders suddenly. He turned his head to find a red drape around him. He realized soon it was a robe, exactly like the black one Nico had that Percy basically stole every chance he got.

Nico materialized beside him, smiling proudly. Percy reflected the gesture. "Thank you."

"No problem darling." Nico replied.

Percy put his present on and wrapped it around his waist loosely. He struck a pose. "How do I look?"

"Royally stunning." Nico's voice was high and filled with a bit of sarcasm.

"Thank you." Percy smiled brightly. He hugged him and pecked him on the cheek. Nico smiled back at him, but Percy could see the strange light in his eyes again. They shone brighter in the moonlight. He was now somewhat aging again in his face, like he was starting to recall what tomorrow held for them.

Percy wasn't going to poke it out, instead he let go and glazed out to the village again. "Don't you just love this place?" Percy asked lightly. "It so wonderful, how lively the people are. They're so kind and sweet, better then most of the alive people in the moral world."

Nico did not reply to his statement which made Percy began to worry again about his state. He turned to find the son of Hades looking at him, in his taller and paler form of appearance, with that same light in his eyes, but brighter and bolder.

Percy signed as he leaned onto the railing. "What's wrong?" He questioned softly.

"I need to tell you something." Nico stated.

From that point on, Nico had informed Percy of his encounter with his father the night before. He told him everything: the army coming, the surplus of soldiers, the reason for all the madness that had been occurring since Nico had started his rule of the land. Percy found it shocking, and understood why Nico was so troubled.

"Another set of doors..." Percy mused with a hundred thoughts in his head. It seems so unreal...

"I have to close it." Nico said, his eyes out into the ocean.

"We can do it." Percy added on. Nico had no reply. He didn't speak for a long while.

"There's more." He spoke. "Stay here." Nico walked back into his room for a moment as Percy waited for him to returned. He came back with his black sword, the one that was legendary looking.

"Do you recognize this sword?" Nico asked.

Percy was confused by the question. "Yes, of course. It's your sword. The one you found when you first arrived here. The one you use to raise skeleton soldiers."

Nico nodded, examining the blade at the point. "You know it more then that."

Percy shook his head. "What?"

"You and me first discovered this sword when it was incomplete. Along with Thalia, in the Underworld."

Percy stopped breathing. He took hold of the sword when Nico offered it to him. "The sword of Hades?" He asked. "How could it possibly?..."

"My father completed it when he realized that Oltre Malavita was beyond his control. He needed a way for me to enter into here when I found it. He couldn't do what he had always done, personally brought his son down to the land and crown him himself, so he finished it up enough for me to have use it for my ruling, for the battle."

"But that can ruin the balance of power between the big three." Percy said.

"We will have to worry about that later." Nico studied the blade that was back in his hands. "One problem at a time."

"But it's forbidden." Percy edged on.

"I would like to think that Zues and Poseidon can look over this for the time being. Especially with the problem at hand."

Percy kept silent at that. He hoped so, for everyone's sake. It was a tricky tactic to use, scary even. He recalls about the time him, Nico, and Thalia did find it and learn about its true purpose, after hunting for it through the Fields of Punishment by using a flower detector from the same goddess who created the weapon without her husband's knowledge. The mission had ended with the new birth of life for not only Bob but a new deadly secret between them all. He remembers how Nico hated her, calling her out on turning him into a plant for her own amusement. He recalls how Hades only glared at his wife in punishment for her actions before sending the blade off. He had taken a stand and made the God of death swear on the river of Styx to not use this against the other Gods, especially his brothers. Hades obliged, butPercy still didn't trust him.

At least, now he knew why it was made and for what task it was meant to be used for now, even though it was the fastest thing he ever expected it to be.

He watched Nico put it away, leaning it against the wall. He noticed his lean, stretched out arms and legs and felt the more yet to come.

"You did it, didn't you?" Percy asked straight forwarded.

"My father that it was best for me to do so." Nico looked at him, his face at a bit more eased. "I didn't plan it. It just happened and there was no turning back once I was already in the water."

Percy declared it strange, since he wasn't really mad or shocked. He was actually relieved and glad that it had happened, almost thanking Hades for it. He knew how having the skin made of iron helped so much in battle. It was a major advantage, making it not only harder for Nico to be killed and easier for him to kill, without the stress and worry about his very easily damage state, even with the armor. Yes, it was risky, and painful as fuck, but Percy was happy that he now had some kind of extra protection for tomorrow.

But it still worried him a bit, depending on where the spot was.

"Where?" He asked.

"On the back of my knee." He replied. "I know that's it not the smartest spot, but it would be something they won't expect since I have already been struck there. They won't try it."

"Put something hard over it anyway." Percy bit his lip. "I'll stay near you as much I can to make sure you're okay."

Nico stayed silent for a long time, like he was debating over Percy statement.

Rather he likes it or not, I'm doing it. Percy thought to himself.

"Who said you were even fighting?" Nico asked. It wasn't in a sassy or ordering manner, more like a lost whispered that he could barely state.

Here we go again...Percy heaved a sign. He closed his eyes so he could roll them without Nico looking.

"Nico," He started calmly and gently. "I rather be with you on the field fighting then in here, alone and worrying if you will come back to me or not."

Please understand. Percy begged to him without voicing it. He had to, _needed_ to. Percy understood why Nico tried to prevent it to the very bitter end, but he couldn't accept it, since it was the same way for him. Percy didn't want Nico out there either, but as a King and as a solider, it was right for him to be out there with his own citizens, his people. But Percy couldn't stand the thought of him out there alone without, which left only one solution for him to do. He knew Nico didn't like it, but Percy couldn't live with himself if he wasn't with him, in the possible case of him being hurt or possibly kill. He hated to sight that played in his head of the battle ending, the celebration starting with cheers of victory, and he was left without his everything-his angel-just staying out in the battle ground, staring at the only dead body left from the fighting.

Even with the victory, Percy would be lost without him.

Nico came to him, placing his hands to his cheeks. Percy leaned to him with his head, completing the gap between them with a first settle kiss. Nico's hand went up to his hair as it deepen into a passionate brawl. Percy felt himself melt again into pure bliss. He felt the flame inside himself burn more, making heat rise up to his frying brain and boiling the blood in his veins. He loved the sweet taste of Nico, with his tenderly soft and full lips that held the flavor of wine and fruit. He smelt the scent of dust and clove off his body that was pressing onto his, sweetly trapping him between the railing and the endearing physique of peace and love.

They separated for air. Percy thought that maybe it was possible for a four reaction of love to happen when Nico's hands traced down to his chest, smoothing over his silk shirt like he needed it for survival. Their faces were still close, tempting Percy for another kiss.

"Belliessa Margaretta." Nico spoke, his face twisted with a hard expression crumbling, trying to keep his tears at bay and his voice steady. Percy could feel his own burn inside his throat. "Remember your first dinner here? Remember what I told you?"

Percy remembered every word that night, but he wasn't exactly sure what he was focusing on. He knew he didn't like it though. The look in his eyes and the way he was trying not to cry was clear that it wasn't something good for both of them.

"Remember about why I said about life?" He asked again. "About how sometime people just leave it and you have to move on?"

Percy lost his breath. His heart stopped and his mind collapsed. He felt himself tremble as his worst nightmare came to life and close in around him.

He... He promised me...

"No..." He forced out. "No_._"

"I'm so sorry, Percy." Nico cried and pushed him off the railing, letting him roll over the balcony and fall into the open air.

He fell, loosing his voice in a scream that halted in his throat as the though of how truly high up he was from the ground. He only saw bushed and grass under neath him as he broke through the air. He closed his eyes as he was prepared himself for the impact.

It arrived, but not in a very painful matter. He felt his head banged against what he found to be wood. He realized then that he could see, and that he was alive. He tried to sit up to only find himself in straight jacket like trap that was made from the same red lace as his robe was. The straight jacket was heavy and he felt a thick mass of materials under him, keeping him down to a laying position.

He saw he was in the back of a wooden cart, like the same one he was first in when he arrived to Oltre Malavita. He looking ahead of him to find the driver seat to be taken by two figures: a blonde male and a dark hair female. He looked up to find a dark figure looming over him; his face was hidden in the shadows like always. He knew all of them, and that's what hurt the most.

He fought against the damn jacket, trying to sit up from the lead heavy thing. He kicked and wiggled with all his might. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't.

He looked back up to the dark figure. "Nico!" He cried, now feeling the tears of betrayal run down his face again. "NICO!"

"Mi dispiace, amore mio!" Nico cried back down to him. "Mi dispiace tanto!"

"Nico!" Percy called out for help, which he knew was worthless. He turned to the front to his so called friends. "Let me go! NOW!"

They didn't respond directly to him. They didn't even look at him. All they did was slapped the ropes onto the dead horse that signaled them to began their getaway.

They began to sped off. Percy turned back to Nico, his face finally seen with the moonlight on his pale face. He could now see that Nico was crying as well.

"Ti amo cara!" Nico cried back out to him. His cracking voice spread and echoed out through the quiet winds of the lands. "Ti amo la mia belliessa margaretta!"

Percyknew what he said, and wanted to say it back, but his voice shattered along with his heart, and the pain came back with a full douce as he sodded and screamed. But it didn't matter. The cart drove on.

Ti amo anch'io...

{...}

Okay, whats wrong?

Did I do something wrong? Because I feel like your all mad at me.

Okay, I mean before you read this chapter.

I havnt gotten the usual respond from chp.18 like I usually get for every other chapter. Did I do something bad? Please don't take this as a complaint, I'm just wondering...

Maybe it's just the rating change? Yeah that's it... Never mind.

Also, Help!

I have been having trouble uploading my documents into a document on my account. It have to do it by paragraph and saving each time after it. I use the notes app on my iPhone 6. This chapter is only 5,000 words, and it's frustrating. Anyone that can please help me? pm or review to help me please because I am seriously done with it right now.

But anyway, thanks for reading and please review! I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the best but I tried and almost cried serval times when writing it. I tried to add in extra percico fluff to it all leading up to the department because I really wanted that dramatic surprise and emotional damage.

So you're welcome! Thanks again for reading! Please Review!


	20. Chapter 20

What was almost midnight in Oltre Malavita, was dawn in the Mortal World. Annabeth gather that from the crazy arrival of the wooden cart that carried three of her demigod friends.

Her location at the time was in front of the waterfall they used as a passage way between the mortal world and Oltre Malavita.

She stood on the landscape in front of it with Hazel who were waiting for the time to strike.

It was worrying her, the fact that they were so late. Annabeth was picky, and was very attached to sticking with a very certain schedule with every detail in place, along with the major issues and events. Annabeth was very set in making sure all these things met her standards and expectations for them at the exact time and place she wanted it to.

In other words, she was about to blow.

She hated tardiness; being late was equivalent to murder in her view of light. How can someone let that happen just so easily? She understood errors that intervene with that very highly praised goal, but for careless slackers who never put in the effect? She felt herself fill with rage at the thought. It was the biggest pet peeve she has and it was almost a serious disorder.

But it was more then annoyance that made her slightly sick from the delay. She stood there in the cool air, running the worse case scenarios through her head as she nervously bit her nails. She could see the wagon breaking down and collapsing as they making their way to the exit and then having to chase down Percy if he tried to escape. She saw them racing away and the town people somehow manage to see them and take it as a kidnapping of their best warrior and lovely pearl, and attack the wagon in an angry mob. She even saw Nico backing out of the plan, which would have made Reyna and Jason fall back to the secret Plan B the group made once they were told the formed conspiracy with Nico.

It's not that she didn't trust Nico. Yes, she was extremely enraged by the fact that he was behind all the first supposed kidnapping of Percy, leaving her drowned in guiltiness and worried out of her mind, but after she learnt everything that happened, and after she cooked down with her emotions in place, she was grateful for him and his actions. She knew she didn't put that off to him, and she felt even more guilty for that, but she really did appreciated what he did for her and how well he took care of Percy. Maybe a bit more then she expected...

She wanted to apologize for it, and she thought that maybe she lighten the tension when she helped him with the battle plans. They seemed to get along, joking a bit with the others even. She knew it wasn't good enough but she was never good that thanks you. She used to think of it as shattering her pride, making her look weak. You could never say thank you on the streets, not that you were given many opportunities to do so anyway.

She glazed out into the falls again, wondering how it was going for them. She wanted it to hurry up, even though she didn't voice it. She wanted to see them, coming out of the hole behind and through the water, into the light. She could see them racing in with Percy in the back pouting and possibly crying, but Reyna and Jason were okay, and they didn't have to do anything risky. She wanted them here, safe and sound. She wanted Reyna most of all.

She won't lie; she didn't see this coming in her plan. It was a insight that she had no view or clue of coming. She didn't even began to expect any kind of romance or passionate connection to be created in her master design that was made in her mind. She didn't see it being made for this time period and normally, in her point of view outside of it, would be irked and bothered by it. But Reyna changed everything...

Gods, she's wonderful. Annabeth was never the mushy type when it came to love but, Jesus Christ...

She held all of it in, hiding it with a mask that only broke slightly whenever she was near. Then she would approach her with her lava rock black hair that shimmered whenever she walked and her coffee brown skin that looked healthy and strong, yet soft and smooth, and her mask would crack more. Then she would look at her with those dark, sparkly eyes that were the purest sight of beauty she had ever seen before, and the mask would finally shattered and Annabeth would be left relieved; vulnerable and weak and willing to do whatever she asked.

She found her exotic and exciting. She was so smart; brilliant beyond belief. She understood subjects that Annabeth herself found interest in and was able to communicate with her about it with her own opinion on it. And she understood Annabeth's own theory over it, which was something that was so foreign to her that she almost didn't believe it, like it was a trick played by someone or something. She was starting to think that it was Aphrodite or Cupid.

She was also so gentle and kind. Gods, when Annabeth first saw her, she could have sworn that she was a girl not afraid to kick someone's ass just for the fun of it. It was somewhat intimidating yet pleasing to see that she was well and able to defend for herself. It was later on, at the end and after the war when Annabeth realized that she had two sides to her personality. Reyna was really nice when she wasn't stressed over problems or in Praetor mood. She cared deeply for her friends and showed it brightly through her expressions and acts. Annabeth knew it to be true since she was a witness of so. Reyna was her only truly close and understanding friend through the three years of hell. She let her cry through the sleepless nights in her shoulder and listened to all her hidden rage and sorrow. She gave her words of wisdom to help her through it, making her fix herself on her own terms and with her own strength, having Reyna's support being the backbone to it all. She got through it all because of her...

She never experience this before, never this strong and terrifying, yet endearing to the heart. She never felt this emotion with Percy. She especially never felt it with a female before, either.

Yes, the affection for Percy she held since she was twelve was true, but it wasn't strong enough to withhold the terrors of Tartarus. In the end, of what could have developed into something passionate and wonderful, died and was left in the hell below. Their friendship and respect for each other was the only thing to make it through to the doors, and barely at that.

Now, she had found it again, but with another. That other being Reyna.

It was ungodly crazy and extremely unexplainable, but she found herself not caring so much about it and the factors behind it. She was falling for her, and that's all that she needed to know, since the evidence of the case was the stable and permanent emotion that cause sweet balance inside her.

Permanent... Gods, Annabeth wanted that so badly. Something firm and nonmoving. Something that can last a life time and maybe even longer. Something that is tall and great and powerful and good. She wanted it timeless and she wanted it to be unbreakable. She was almost convinced she had that with Percy... Sometimes, the children of Athena weren't always right.

She began tapping her foot without realizing it. She glanced to her right at Hazel who didn't seemed to notice it. She was still staring intently at the waterfall, waiting for some notification of them coming that only she could feel. Annabeth looked away. She still felt extremely bad for distracting her the other day and almost ruining everything for the group and the plan. It was one of the many things she felt guilty about.

She hated herself the whole time during this quest. She only got in the way of things, providing very little help to the others as they struggle their way to Iceland. All she did was cry and bitch and she hated herself for it. It wasn't like her. She was normally the leader of this kind of things, but with her stupid emotions and mood swings she couldn't even function on a normal basics, much less lead them like she wanted to.

At least she was better now. It was last night, when she was in her huge guest bedroom with the bed straight from heaven, when she curled up with the pillows and covers and tried to sleep but couldn't. The guilt and shame and anger finally crawled it's way up to her fake front of coolness yet again and shattered her completely. She was recalling her rudeness to Percy, how she snapped at him so meanly, just like she did the night he got away from the monster she become.

She recalled how she yelled at him that night. How she called him a failure, a loser. How she hated him and how she couldn't stand to be around him anymore since he turned into a disgusting human being that she loathed greatly. How she hated him because he left him with the shell of a used to be hero to heal herself with. She stated how she went through the same stuff she did and how they always made their way through it before, until he decided that wasn't good enough for him anymore. How she wasn't good enough for him anymore when it was really reverse.

She regretted ever saying those false things to him. She hated herself for ever hurting him like that. Yes, the romance was gone, but she still loved and cared for him because they been through so much together. He helped her through the hell just like she did with him. They were still friends, still apart of who they were of each other. How could she so carelessly hurt him like that?

She stuffed her face into the pillows and drown out her feeling into their softness. She gripped the feather stuffed bundles with a death grip and screamed. She finally got it all out for the first time in three years, and she felt better about it in the end.

That's when she had her epiphany. She was better then this, and she will fix herself of it. She had gown to be stronger then this and she refused to even be so low and bitter like that again. She will make things better between her and Percy, but only in an act of friendship. She will move on in her life to the new partner she has chosen for herself and finally live happily ever after. Like she deserves. Like Percy and her deserves.

She was planning on doing this the next day when everything slowed and she got the chance to, but it didn't happen due to the news of the upcoming battle and having to put the secret plan into action that same night, AKA tonight.

It irked her, knowing that she just lost her shot at it but she knew it was also for the best. She hated how they had to do it, through.

Seeing Percy with Nico, at first, made her feel so mad and uncomfortable, but now, it pained her to see them apart and know that she was the cause of it. She noticed how Percy smiled so wide and how his scintillating eyes sparkled whenever he looked at Nico, like he was the best thing ever. She never imaged the time where the two were very good friends. Percy, from what she figured, had always thought that he was on Nico's bad side, ever since the death of his sister. Now, it seemed to be forgotten and something else has bloomed and taken the place of the supposed hate.

She understood everything now, with the relationship between them. She had thought over Percy's words: _He's my savior. I can't image life without him, and I refuse to try to live one without him. _

She recalled all the things they heard in the saloon, how they discovered his supposed nickname, his suppose frame, and his suppose relationship status_. _It seemed like they had a plan for it all, actually. Or, at lease, the people did.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Hazel spoke up in a squeamish tone. "They're coming! Prepare yourself... Just in case."

Annabeth nodded and aimed her focus on the waterfall. She glanced over to Hazel who was in her own powerful zone in her control over the magic that basically thicken the air. Annabeth kept her eyes forward and prayed for it to go well. She wanted it all to be okay again, but her overwhelming doubt and her constant check in with brutally reality made her hope welled up into a very small douse.

The seconds passed off as lifetimes after lifetimes. Her breathing progress failed at her command of normal conduct and stopped completely the whole time. Annabeth felt the slight change in the air and its passing as Hazel slowly raised her arms up above her head. Annabeth watched as the graceful wave reacted to her movement by copying it. The water rising up in an abnormal manner amazed her, causing her mind to stop all of it logically way of thinking and just let have this one moment of astonishment at the wonderful ways of magic.

It all came crushing down when she saw a wagon flying out of the dark, hollow hole and being brought into the sunshine of the new day. Annabeth jumped at the sudden bursting sight, not expecting it at all, which meant she failed at being focused like she should have been.

Hazel was still in her tense zone and not noticing anything happening around her apart from the waterfall when the wagon zoom by them and finally stopped when the wheels either broke on the harsh impact of the ground or just shattered into splinters. That left only the wagon itself, making the wooden cart flop onto the ground, causing a cloud of dust.

Annabeth dashed off, leaving Hazel behind to her deep work as she approached the deadly sight. She found everything to be okay, in proper and well tamed condition. Everyone else though... Well...

They were okay, too. Actually, normal and fine without any kind of trouble being seen.

Something had to be wrong.

She finally came to it to find Reyna, who was positioned in the driver seat beside Jason, turn to him and they shared one of any looks that she'll never understand or learn. She ignored her sting of jealousy and punch of hurt pride.

"Are you guys okay?" She asked hastily.

Reyna looked down to her through her lashes and her slightly turned head. Her braid of shimmering black hair was loose and basically messily undone. She had dust and dirt on her shirt and face, almost mixing together in a fine power that matched her skin tone and brought out her pretty, pretty eyes. Overall, she was lovely. So damn lovely...

"Yeah..." Her voice was low and almost noiseless. "I think so."

Annabeth noticed how unsure she sounded, which meant they were all on the same brainwave of the wrongly felt quietness of who was on the back.

Annabeth knew Percy, despite everything. She knew that he loved so easily and cared so much about the people he was so connected to, that he was naturally very firm and stubborn in his attachment to them. He didn't like separation, even in the slightly way, especially by force and trickery.

And they all were expecting it, the out burst. They knew it was coming, with a stronger force then the second coming, but the fact that it hasn't arrived yet, scared them all shitless.

Reyna jumped off her seat and landed next to Annabeth. Jason did the same on the other side. Reyna took Annabeth by her arms, gripping her elbows with her strong hands in a gentle manner. Annabeth tried to control her breathing as they slowly walked to the back of the cart together. She knew that Reyna put herself between her and the cart for a reason, but Annabeth was still able to see a dark red fabric wrapped around a familiar silhouette. She couldn't breath again.

Annabeth and Reyna watched as Jason took it upon himself to do the deed. The two girls nervously watched the brave soul as he carefully pull down the end of the cart and climb very steadily into the back with the boy that was a living, breathing ticking time bomb. They all knew he was destined to go off, but none of them knew when and that was the scariest part. It's the same thing that Annabeth was afraid of all those years.

Jason stood easily and slowly, having hands up in a lazy manner, like he was cornering an animal that he was trying to show that he was friendly too. Annabeth noticed how pale his face was and how Reyna kept her closer then she should, and yet not as nearly much as she, or her, wanted in the very dangerous causation.

"Hey Percy." Jason greeted him, forcing a smile on his face that looked semi-forced. He took very small and safe steps closer to him.

Annabeth and Reyna were leaned over a bit around the corner. Annabeth's view of the red fabric advanced upward to a neck and chin, the skin covering both of the body parts was constricted very tightly and paler then she recalled.

"Okay, Perce." Jason breath. "We're going to do this, and it's going to be nice and slow and-HUMPH!"

Annabeth and Reyna jumped back at the sight of Jason being kicked in the groin. Then a swift kick up to the face, right on the nose, and then followed back a powerful kick to the stomach that sent him flying out of the cart and into the ground.

"Holy fuck!" Reyna gasped as she almost jumped into Annabeth's arms into total fright.

Annabeth couldn't breath, literally shaking from the fear of what she just saw. She never seen Percy that powerful and angry but once, and she knew, this time, she wouldn't be able to stop him if it got out of hand.

"Come on." She tagged Reyna along to where Jason was laying on the ground. Hazel was already there, having taken off her jacket and putting it under his bleeding nose.

"You okay?" She asked him.

"He's pissed." Jason stated the very obvious. "I'm mean, just look at him."

Annabeth shakily turned to find him right, not that she doubted it in the first place. She knew it.

Percy was seated with his back to the cart wall, his long legs stretched out with his feet bare. His black pants were rolled up and his white shirt was barely seen tucked under the red cloth that wrapped around his torso and enclosed his arms from any usage. His head was titled slightly to the left, casting a grey shadow along his boyish facial features that she use to swoon over, but this was different.

His expression was mainly bluntly blank, with his nose and forehead relaxed, but his lips were slowly curling into a snarl and his chin was stiff, like he was holding back a sob or scream. What scared her the most was her were his eyes. Those sea green orbs were like raging waves, crashingt chaotically and roaring wildly as a replica of his untamed emotions. He was mainly angry now, which was seen very clearly through the shine and intensity of those iris, and it made the sight horrifying. They snapped over directly to her, meeting her dead on, and the fury increased quickly. His eyes widen in rage and his face began to twist in disgust and loathing. She turned away and swallowed hard; she still felt his eyes on her.

"Was he like this the whole time?" Annabeth asked.

"At first, he was wiggling and yelling, yeah." Reyna replied. "But after we got halfway through, he just stopped and got quiet."

Annabeth never really experience that herself with Percy. This was new, an advance level of crazy and madness that she had never been before. She thought she was already there but apparently, it never ends.

"What's that red thing around him?" Annabeth asked.

"Nico put that on him." Reyna stated. "It has some heavy in it. It's to keep him from escaping. It's like lead, or something."

She turned to her. "So Nico didn't back out of the plan?"

"No." She shook her head. Annabeth really didn't know what to make of that; she trusted Nico, but predicted differently based on his connection to Percy. She had a new found respect for the son of Hades.

"He can't stand." Hazel spoke up. "And look at what he has already done." She glanced to Jason who was still on the ground with a bleeding nose and hurting stomach and groin.

"Remember what's behind us as well..." Reyna said quietly.

Annabeth understood her concern without even needing to look back. The waterfall was the curtain to the entree way of his heavenly escape, and he knew it just as well as they all did. He wanted nothing more then be back with Nico in Oltre Malavita, which was also the exact thing they couldn't let happen. This was a tricky situation, one that can also be deadly.

"We can't leave him alone with him to close to it." Hazel said, her head down low. "I'll stay here and guard it if he tries anything."

"Two of us have to go get the ship and pull it up to the shore so we can get him on." Reyna stated.

"I'll go get the ship." Jason volunteered. "I don't think I need to be around him anymore."

Reyna and Annabeth made eye contact. Reyna stated through her deep brown eyes that she will stay with Hazel. They both knew that the two who stayed will have to carry the cart that held Percy inside onto the ship and the Latina didn't want her around that. But refused that to happen. If Percy did try to use the waterfall, Annabeth suspected that she was the only one that could stop him from hurting anyone. That she slightly doubted that the sea spawn would really try it since Hazel was there, and she was Nico's only sibling. She knew he would try that, or, at least, she hoped so.

It scared her to the bones that she no longer knew what went through her seaweed brain's mind. She used to have it plan out and she knew all the functions and how the system operated so easily, like it was her own way of thinking. Now... She didn't have the slightest idea what he was about... He changed so much, she wasn't even sure if she could ever understand again. That's what hurt the most, not knowing him anymore.

"I'll stay." Annabeth cut her eye connection with Reyna and stated loudly to make her point.

Reyna helped Jason up and then stirred off to the west to the far off shore where they parked the ship. It was on the other side of the beach, so it would be a while. Annabeth's body tensed.

She stood beside Hazel in the strain period of time. They were in the same position that they stood before the arrival of the flying wagon, which put them in a good spot of a five yard distance from the dangerous hero that was stationed in the cart. It was good enough to cast a fully black shadow across his whole face, making it hard to see his murderous eyes in that intense glare that she still felt on her skin.

She knew he blamed her for this. He was angry at all of them but it was mainly her that will get all the backlash because of their history and current attendant between them. She hoped that it wasn't the cruelest, most cliché view to him of how everything happened: she was jealous or whatever and decided to come up with a ridiculous story to convince Nico to trick Percy out of Oltre Malavita when really she just wanted him back with her.

It wasn't that way. She would have never done that. Slightly because she knew that there was no way she get away with it, but mainly because she could never do that to either of them. She didn't know Nico well, but she knew how Percy was with other he was affective fondness to, and how he would be so hurt from her actions. If it truly wasn't for Hades and the war, if she somehow magically knew about the kingdom and how Percy and Nico was, she would have left it there and move on with her life as Percy did. She would demand to know he was okay and well and happy before doing so, but once she was sure, she would leave him there and wish him the best of luck in his new life. She would want a happy ending for both of them, even if it wasn't meant for them to have it with one another.

Percy was her friend, and she wanted him to be happy. But now... She was almost positive that the feeling was no longer mutual. Their friendship was possibly dead for good, and it will be a miracle from the Gods if she survived this trip.

She felt his eyes on her still, making her look away to the east at the landscape. She felt herself withered underneath his radiated hate. She felt herself start to shake from the thoughts of the ways he would kill her if he got to the point of murder. She visioned the petrifying member of how the son of the sea god almost killed the goddess of pain back in the hell below hell... His face that was so twisted in rage and hurt... How she thought he was going through with it, and almost _let_ him.

She felt Hazel jump beside her, brushing her elbow to her's. "Thank the Gods..." Hazel breathed in relief.

Annabeth snapped to the ocean to see the ship brushing into the sand. Annabeth lingered below to the blue ocean waters and was thankful that she found it still calm and smooth, like it hasn't change its steadiness due to its heir's negative mood. She shook at the fact that she knew that could change in a second.

"Come on." Annabeth tugged at Hazel's coat to signal the next step of the plan. Hazel's solace seem to crumble down at the discovery but she walked with the blonde reluctantly.

They took a slow paste towards the danger. Annabeth knew that Reyna and Jason were watching as they came down to the shore as fast as possible. Everyone knew and could feel the stiff way of danger that thicken the air and cause everything to be as fragile as thin ice. If one thing breaks, it's over.

Right now, it was Percy who was the ice.

They came near the cart, Hazel taking the other side as Annabeth put up the end. She had kept her eyes down the whole time of the walk. She only saw her shoes because she knew she crack under those sea green eyes. She always did, but not in the same manner this time.

Annabeth's shaking hands reached out to the wood, slowly inching towards it with causation, as if it would burn her. She watched as her fingers tucked under the railing and lifted it a bit above the ground. She felt the other end of the wagon do the same and they began walking. Annabeth let Hazel lead the way, not wanting to look up to see the way of the boat because she knew Percy would force contact with their eyes. She only looked at her shoes on the soil was the causally disappear under the wood.

The total silence covered the air, making the sounds of their steps on the soft soil that drifted onto sand noiseless almost.

It was when the large entree way flapped onto the sand in a pound thud that Annabeth betrayed her self made promise and looked up in surprise. She realized what she had done too late, and her eyes darted to the sea prince who was glaring straight at her. It hurt her, making her flinch.

She comprehended the message they growled out to her immediately.

_Are you scared, girl? _

_You should be._

Annabeth shook violently, almost dropping the cart. She kept her eyes down again, biting down her trembling lip, to keep herself from crying or screaming. She hated herself so much right now...

They loaded the flaming demigod onto the ship, taking him up to the deck, where Reyna and Jason were waiting. Annabeth put back on her mask as she stood, head high, eyes blocking him out and stood beside Reyna. She felt safe with her around and that was all she wanted at the moment.

"Alright." Reyna spoke up. "Let's get going." Annabeth nodded along, trying to not notice how lovely she was in the shining light of the rising sun. She turned out to the island and saw what she feared the most: the waves of the water fall coming up into the air.

Annabeth poked Reyna and pointed at it.

"Stop it, Percy!" The Latina snapped at him. "Don't make this any harder for yourself!"

Percy glared at her meanly. "I'm not doing shit. It's Hazel."

The three of them turned to Hazel, who was in her magic zone again with her closed eyes and her hands reached out. She did something different though, instead of her arms straight out and froward, they were bend and her hands were clawing at the air, like she was trying to open a box that was glued shut.

"Hazel..." Annabeth started softly before the loud sound of land and rocks breaking apart took over.

For a solid second, the group thought she had gone mad, then they saw the reason for her actions.

After the department of land, the group discovered that the mist created a cover for the kingdom with an image of a landscape and a waterfall. That wasn't the shocking part through, it was what was underneath that made them all flinch and stare in shock.

The kingdom of Oltre Malavita was raging in havoc. Every inch of the land was cover in ungodly chaos. Soldiers of the dead were scattered everywhere, fighting and killing and dying and coming back up all in the same second of citizens running and screaming for safety. Buildings and homes were on fire and destroyed, with the remains still sending smoke out into the air and some used as weapons as they were flung against one another by each army. The screams and cries were overwhelming and uncontrollable. The close up details Annabeth caught sight of hurt her terribly. She saw a mother and her child both be stabbed by the sword of the enemy from behind. She saw a solider on the ground, fighting with the best of his ability till he was carried off and thrown off one of the edges out into the ocean. She couldn't unseen them.

_I've been apart of this..._ Annabeth thought.

She heard the strong intake of air from her right and knew it was Percy. None of them really had a direct connection to the land, but for Percy, it's been his home for about thirty years...

Hazel collapsed, letting Jason caught her as she exhaustedly stared at the sight before her in total terror. Nico was out there, and he could be dead...

Suddenly, as Reyna gripped her forearm, a small black figure merged out of the crowd of death and raced up to the steps of the castle. Reyna's grip tighten as they all realized it was Nico. Annabeth saw Percy sit up straighter to see the view, biting his lip, his eyes full of hope and fear.

The dark figure came into the clearing. He stood into the middle of the battle, surrounded by a group of men defending off the space for him. The king looked around as to make sure he didn't have a killer behind him before he unsheathed his second black bladed sword and stabbed it into the group, where it was halfway through. A long large crack was born into the group and spread the both ends of the land, glowing a blazing, flame like light from its pits as they slowly opened up, relieving a hell underneath that caused all the men to struggle to get away.

Nico stood over the pit, glaring down at it with two swords in his hands. He shouted into the hole with spell like words that Annabeth never heard before, causing her to be enchanted by the way they sounded so powerful over all the violence and madness that was planted on the land. She would have never known that they would bring fighting death from the Underworld.

Skeletons and ghost alike, all clothes in heavy armor and armed with fatal weapons, crawled out of the pit, sinking sharp, claw like fingers into the soil and rising up as the soldiers around scrambled away. They came out in full lines departing once they located the enemy and attacked in full fury.

The battle, that was once in a still moment of fear and shock, was now raging on again with the winning side being clear with the new giant addition of soldiers expanding out. The group almost cheered in total joy of the sight. Hazel just about sobbed with happiness. Jason was grinning widely. Reyna just about shouted in joy. Annabeth would have joined her if Percy's face of alarm and fright didn't snap her out of it. His eyes were darting around in a certain part. She turned back and almost choked on air. She gripped Reyna's arm.

Nico was now fighting another dark figure as he held one arm out over the pit, trying to keep the abyss open as more reenforcement came spilling out. He was having trouble defending himself, as the other gave each wide swing a powerful force behind it and tried to cut up Nico in every open spot available.

Nico tried to black each shot. Each one that did hit did not cause much, if any, damage that Annabeth could see. The son of Hades was mainly trying to keep himself out of the pit, which was clearly why the enemy was swing so hard, trying to push him into didn't know if he would survive if he did or not. She wasn't even completely sure where it would lead him. All she knew is that Nico wasn't interested in finding out.

Percy was holding back his screams and his tears as he watched the fight. Each blade clash made him flinch and every hit onto Nico made him growl, yet sob. Annabeth mentally and quickly prayed to her mother for this victory for Oltre Malavita.

The enemy landed down on Nico's sword hard, causing him to use both hands to block it. He was bending over his back, over the pit. The enemy was looming over him, putting more strength over his body.

Suddenly, Nico pushed back, yelling out a raging cry, and shove the enemy back enough for him to be safely over the land and not the pit. The two went head on. Each one swinging and lashing with power strikes and aiming for weak spots that they mostly caught. They were both swift and smooth, but with the pressure and control, the battle raged into an evil clash that seemed to never end. Both held their moments of dominance, until the other took control again.

It was when the enemy had his turn when he took full advantage of the King. He was swifter and sharper as he was able to turn the tried and weak demigod around and struck him down at the legs.

Annabeth thought nothing of it until Nico fall face down immediately. He held himself up barely and shook with a shiver that faded into a complete stillness quickly.

For a solid moment, no one moved. No one breathed. No one thought. They just glazed out into the tragedy.

Then it happened.

_"NO!"_

It all happened at once. The waves of the ocean they floated on began to move in an uproar as the earth shook violently. The clear morning turned dark with dark clouds that hovered over the land and ship. The whole world was going mad. The ice had finally broke.

Annabeth fell back with Reyna barely caught in her in time. The two girls fell back to the edge, almost falling over board. They slid down to the floor and held onto each other and the railing's ropes. Annabeth could barely see; she couldn't think. She was scared out of her mind.

She looked to her side to see Jason and Hazel clinging to each other as Jason held onto a dagger stabbed into the wood of the floor. The ship shook and waved with the waves that pushed it in every direction.

She looked forward to find Percy standing in the cart that was now destroyed into shreds. He stood with the red cloth still wrapped around him, but she could see his arms were tense with anger and his hand clinched into his skin with rage. His face was twisted more with hate and his eyes were no longer human. They were shining a still hue of sea green, as they glared out into the battle.

Annabeth felt Reyna hold her close she try to look up but was tossed back to the railing. She opened her eyes again as she focused into the battle again with all her might. The land was shaking there as well, not causing the fighting to stop but to become more difficult. It the ocean inside the land caused had tall waves crashed down onto the beach, water slightly spilling out into the land. The soldiers from both sides ran from the danger, only the skeletons getting near it as they tossed the enemy's men out into it.

But it didn't matter. Nico still laid motiveless on the ground.

The boat was still being thrown around by the tormenting waves and the clouds above thundered with no lighting, causing more noise to over power any kind of sense that could be heard over the wild disorderedness. The earthquake made everything blurry, making Annabeth dizzy and whiplashed all at the same time. She could see clearly, but it was impossible to miss the continuing rising higher waves as the grew over the castle, and then reflecting the notion on all the other sides of the island.

Annabeth knew then what was happening, what the sea spawn was doing.

He can't...

The biggest wave out of them all roar front the back, reaching up miles and miles above the ground.

Annabeth bolted from Reyna's arms, something she never thought she be able to do, and raced over to Percy, ignoring the other girl's calls for her return.

She stood in front of him, clenching his tied up arms and shaking him, trying to make him look at her.

"Percy!" She scream over the thunder and the waves. "Percy! Stop this! Now, please!"

No reaction. He kept his snarl and glare aimed to the kingdom was soon about to die.

"Percy, please!" Annabeth felt tears strafed to finally unleash and fall down her cheeks as her screams turned to sobs. "Percy, you can't do this! Nico wouldn't want you to do this! Percy, please! For Nico, please!"

Still no reaction. Her fear started to shake her more that the earthquake and waves. Her cries were shattering more then the thunder and the slowly dying peace and sanity.

It all reached its climax when Percy grinned. An evil grin. The same one he wore down int Tartarus, when he was about to comment murder. Annabeth, then taking herself as the ice, finally broke then.

"PERCY!" She cried one more time before turning around to only a falling wall of water attack Oltre Malavita.

{...}

I regret nothing.

Thanks for reading. Please review.


	21. Chapter 21

Percy came to, too late.

Hazel sobbed. Hazel screamed. She fell down again to have Jason caught her again as she felt her whole body rattled with shock and fear.

_Nico... Nico..._

She let out her sobs as the water came down. She was on the floor by then, landing her face down onto the wood. She felt herself scream but didn't hear it. It was overpowered by the crash of the water onto the land. She could feel the level of death increase even, if that was possible, and her own heart stopped... After that, nothing.

For a solid second, nothing happen. She only saw the darkness, felt the numb solitary of the pain to the point it didn't hurt, and did not live nor die in that second. It was the worse experience of her life.

She found herself being lifted up once the bright light and the feeling of being touch ended the horrible second. She opened her eyes to the even worse forever long reality.

_My brother is dead... My brother is gone..._

"Hazel." Jason shook her slightly. "Hazel."

Hazel raised her head up, looking through all the curls, seeing the world again. She looked out, feeling tears run down her face now. The land was wet, obliviously, but it was also soulless. It was empty and looked deserted, like no soul ever graced the land.

"Oh my Gods..." Hazel heard Jason gasped. Hazel's eyes were with his as they both caught sight of the bare steps of the castle. Nico's body was gone.

Hazel sobbed more, finally hearing her own cries. She settled down on the floor again and cried. She stayed there as Jason got up and ran off somewhere. She felt the faint sound of a deep groan broke out into the air, followed by a loud thud that shook the ground. She then heard the sound of footsteps and then dragging off a heavy object away.

She didn't really comprehended how long she sat there, drowning in her own pain and agony. She felt as if she had no small amount or a longing eternity. Time didn't touch her in her hurt, just like how the events around her cause no effect to her being.

She felt fury, sorrow, remorse all in one setting; a large douce of absolute misery spreading through her body like a virus.

She was so angry at everything; at how the world works and how the fates manipulated its actions. She was angry at Nico for leaving in the first place, creating all the leading up madness in his attempt. She was mad at Oltre Malavita for even existing; being created by her absent ass father and then traveling its way into the mortal world and fucking up everything. She was so, _so_ pissed at Percy for ending it all because he couldn't keep his shit together. It's not their fault he can't go ten seconds with losing his sanity and killing someone. And it was _her_ brother this time...

This rage also came with grief, making her sad that she just lost another person in her life, maybe two since Percy was possibly officially gone now. She recalled how lovely he looked before in the only night they spent in Oltre Malavita, how he used to look with his spiritual eyes and vigorous smile that matched his energetic aura. There no was no chance of that returning, especially since no one knew how to reverse it all. Annabeth, who had all her sympathy, was probably going to be stuck with him again and his pitiful broke soul.

_Who gives a damn.._. Another part of her mind snarled viscously. _My brother is dead. Let him burn in hell. _

But most of all, out of it all, bitter guilt was the very thing that build up inside her to where she choked on it with her sobs. She felt as if she just found Nico first, maybe even made him feel more welcome in the first place, that he would have never even thought about leaving, demolishing the hellish future that they were all facing sufferingly now.

She was his sister, his _only_ sister since... She was his family and family was suppose to take care of each other. She failed him. She did all of this to him and she didn't even look into it long enough to _notice_, much less care.

She was so disgusted with herself and everyone else. She loathed everything around to the point she was only merely content with her spot on the floor, where time, pain, and emotions didn't exist.

Jason shook her body. "Hazel, get up."

She didn't move.

"Hazel, seriously get up."

Hazel got up grumpily, cussing the son of the sky God in her head with every name in the book. But then her rage and moodiness subsided as she felt a tingle in her chest that aim towards the main land. She looked up and saw that the washed out battle ground look somewhat of a glow, like it was coming back from the grave.

"Hazel?" Jason asked.

"The land..." She stated, no longer use to her own voice. "It's still alive. It's extremely weak but alive, which means..." She lost her breath.

"Look." Jason pointed out to her. Together they stared at the view of a cloud like ghost slowly rise from the ground. He began to move, or so that's what they thought, as some more started to do the same.

"Is this good?" Jason asked her.

Hazel did answer at first. She honestly didn't know the answer. "I don't know. They're coming back, but... They're weak and slow."

"They just went through battle and then a tsunami." Jason stated.

"They're the stronger survivors, and they can barely walk." Hazel shot back. "I'm not sure if their will be that many to come back..."

They were silent then, watching as the few and fewer came back in the long time.

{...}

They spent the whole night watching Oltre Malavita, counting only twenty in total to come back so far, that they could see from that side.

Hazel and Jason sat there without a sound being heard unless it was a number that went up the well kept scale by one.

As the young girl sat there, she could feel it all dreadfully, yet hopefully. She felt the land get only slightly stronger with each new soul. It made the tingling in her chest feel somewhat heavier, but in a nice way, a good way. It was a sign that the kingdom had a chance. Yes, there were very few survivors, but it was better then absolutely none. Especially after the accident with the knocked out fuck up in the back.

The water attack effected everyone on the land. The women and children never had a chance in their safe places inside their homes. The ghostly soldiers on both sides had no idea of what was going to happen; their only knowledge of so was in the same second of it actually happening. She feared that only the skeletons might not have been negatively effected by it. Yes, they probably went down like all the others, but they might have only smoothly return back to the position in the Underworld. The ghost literally lost their _lives_ again.

She sat on the wooden deck, a candle to her left the whole night. Jason nodded off at the end, before Reyna quietly rolled her feet out to them. She sat beside Hazel, asking quietly for an update. Her voice was a whisper.

Hazel responded in the same manner, giving her the full theory they have discovered.

"How many are you guessing?" Reyna asked.

"Originally..." She stated. "None."

They were silent again. Hazel felt so tired, like she just sleep a hundred years, but that feeling in her chest kept her awake. Life was always to much to ever ignore.

"Have you-"

"No."

Hazel already knew the question. She had sure to make her tone sharp and mean, enough to end the questioning of her brother. She felt death all around her, but she also was accustom to her brother's odd aura of old powerful magic. She would know when he was dead; the motion would be too strong for her to ever mind over. She just wasn't sure if that part still applied to this station of problems or not.

She hoped he still was, but only if he was in good health. She had seen the massive damage from all the others it had caused, and they were just ghost. Nico was alive, making him more sensitive to pain and misery. She didn't want him to be in that kind of hurt. He had been through enough of the god awful pain in all ways throughout his life and she just didn't want him to suffer anymore. She didn't care about their father or anyone else's option on the matter. He was _her_ brother, and so her say is a bit higher then theirs. If not more...

Something crawled in the bottom of her stomach at that thought. She felt herself glare at he air around her, like she was angrily deviated from the fact that she breathing the same source of air with that damn shithead in the back of the ship, sleeping soundly in the medical cot.

She expected that if maybe Percy had a say over it that differed from her's, her brother would choose his over her's. It made her want to hit something, and scream. It wasn't fair. She was his sister and his only sister. She loved him and cared for him when Percy was ready to forget all about him. Hell, that damn sea spawn was the reason for his possible deathly state in the first place! It's all his fault! Why would and should he tower over her in any way, shape, or form?

She felt herself breathed heavily as she forced her mind away from the matter. She stayed there the whole night. Both Reyna and Jason had left her in the last hour, but she didn't care. She watched the sun set as she felt the tingle in her chest strengthen. She counted fifty souls in the approaching twelve hours and found that to be somewhat of an improvement. She didn't feel Nico through, so it wasn't that big of a achievement in her eyes.

Into the night, more kept rising and Hazel wished she knew the population number of Oltre Malavita, to track the progress and what not. She lost count soon enough, but she could tell that the painfully slow progress was a bit faster, not much, but enough to make a same positive difference.

She still feel Nico though, through death or life and it scared her shitless. The unknown knowing ate her alive as she sat there and watched for each new spirit came back to the land. She desperately hoped for one of them to be her brother, to feel the sense if death mix with his aura. Yes, he would be dead and possibly still in pain but she would know and be done with her endless worrying and constant fear of never finding out. But she knew that would not happen. If Nico did die he would not be in Oltre Malavita because there would be no Oltre Malavita to return to. The land would have done what it has always done when the son of Hades died and they were left Kingless. The land would have gone into a coma like rest into the earth. No souls would be reappearing. The land would be numbly alive and not progressing like it has been.

She watched as the small community came together and began to search for others which they would usually find and take to the castle for shelter and treatment. She felt herself increase with agony as she still saw no sight of her brother. She felt like dying every time...

It was finally morning, a full 24 hours when she made up her mind. She knew she had to do this. She would never forgive herself if she didn't do it.

She finally stood from the sitting position she had been in for so long. Her knees popped and her legs ached but she shifted into the room where the rest of her three friends were debating over something to do with the psycho.

_Can't we just ditch him somewhere and leave him to rot?_ Hazel moved on from the thought and focused on her mission, which was more difficult then she thought it would be.

Once she voiced her request, all three of the older demigods flipped. Jason was the loudest about the protest but it was Reyna who got straight to the point instead of sugar coating it like the other two were.

"Hazel, we can not send you off to a magical, _dangerous_ place where-!"

"I am not leaving this damn place until I know if my brother is alive or not!"

They agreed then, letting her go for only a few hours. She ate her meal fast before going off to do it immediately. She mainly did it under the motherly order of Annabeth, but also because she was starving and ungodly tired. She went along with it through, not asking about Percy the whole time.

She basically ran out of the ship through the lower level entree way, throwing her jacket on and harshly breathing in the cold, salty air once it hits her face. She stops running and breathes to clear her mind.

Please Nico be alive. Please, please be alive...

She walked on softly, taking her time as she slowly realized that this might truly not be smart. She glazed out into the still open passage way to Oltre Malavita, barely seeing any movement at all. It dishearten her at first, thinking that she just made herself look like an idea for make a lost cause a big deal. She went on though, simply because she meant what she stated earlier. She really needed to know. It will eat her alive till her death if she doesn't find out, and this was her only chance.

A part of her told her that if she didn't get a message of his death now from anything, maybe even her father, then that maybe he was alive. Another had doubt crumble over that theory and left her in her nervous, weak state now.

She walked into the cave with ease, no longer having a problem with making the giant waterfall do her willing. She walked into the new world causally, even preparing for the fall with easily landing in her feet. What she wasn't ready for was the sight she discovered as she regain her balance and focused on the unfamiliar land in front of her.

She gasped in shock and horror at the destroyed land. Buildings that used to be all and decorated with lovely flowers and paintings were now nothing but chalky rumble. The stone road of shining white light was stained and chipped off, covering it on pot holes and gray streaks of what appeared to be human faces forever tinted on it. The grass was dead and brown with many broken spears and abandoned weapons scattered everywhere. The sky seemed to fade into a sadder, dimmer blue, but what scared her the most were the ghosts.

The people of the kingdom, that were so sprightly and basically stimulated with life were now as dead as they actually were. They were the complete polar now, and it was saddening to the fullest.

Hazel shakily began to walk into the wasteland, trying to not seen so surprised and not to stare at the broken down people. The ghost were so weak, some barely able to walk, some just laying on the ground. They were low spirited, most never looking fully up to see and notice Hazel's presence. She recalled them all dancing and singing and celebrating everything they had in the magically home they all loved. Now it was all gone... They were better off dead instead of wasting away here...

She walked one, following the new foreign road farther into the land. She walked quickly, hoping that no one would stop her. She wasn't sure if her plan would work fully, but she was destined to find her way back to the castle and hunt down her brother. If he was alive, he would be there. If he was dead, hopefully someone would tell her.

She kept walking, her head low and down. She was lost in her fear filled thoughts. She wasn't sure how she would function after the possible lost of her brothers life. Yes, he had been absent for a while now and she lived on nicely without him but she still had that evil fear of him being found dead somewhere, not knowing about it ever... And maybe seeing him die right in front of her and still not knowing the truth...

She was never his real sister. She didn't know him all that well, but what she did know about him is that he could relate to the exact same pain she feel in her life. How lonely and unaccepting it is to a child, knowing that people in society would resent her, in a way, due to her parentage. He understood her confusion when it came to the modern day technology that literally blew her mind and how scared everything was in the new world with all of it changes. He led her the way to understanding, and he became a part of her family. As she did with him.

She felt a tear run down her cheek and we breathing slow down into a heavier paste when she notices the activity beside her. She jumped and snapped to her right, hearing deep voices yell out in the foreign language she heard earlier. They were taking down a already shattered building. They kept at it and Hazel was about to walk away but then she recognized a face in the group, the one that was calling out orders and pulling the rope that was around the building.

"Bradshaw!" She cried in unthinkable happiness. She should have hunted him down first. She was currently kicking herself for not thing of it first.

The general spirit popped his head around to her. He was out of breath and breathing heavily but still bowed once he realized it was her.

"Your royal highness!" He tried to get out. "How are you? Is Percy alright? Any troubles?"

Hazel was a bit off about the royal status that he just assumed she had since she was the king's sister, but she wasn't about to let it go when she could use it to her advantage. "Yes, I demand to see my brother."

Bradshaw stopped, mouth ajar, and looked at her with a certain light in his eyes. She stopped breathing and felt herself tremble. She couldn't believe it. _No, no he's wrong... There's no way... No!_

"Are you sure you want that?" He asked carefully, like he could read the truth in her mind.

Hazel kept her face together, having a tiny bit of hope pop inside her from the question. _Maybe... Just maybe he's alive..._ She nodded firmly. She was finally going to get her answer.

Bradshaw aged a thousand years right before her before nodding and bowing again. He called back to his workers and then led her towards the giant, gothic castle that stood at the end of the road.

Her nerves were numb from the internal pain that she was beginning to feel again. Her feet thudded on the dead ground like she was having trouble walking, which was true. She was trying to keep herself from falling down and sobbing. She had to keep it together for the time being. She couldn't break down. Not yet anyway. It mainly depend on if Bradshaw led her to a weak king or to a grave.

They traveled on for what seemed like lifetimes. They passed countless of ghost who just slugged around the barely alive land. Hazel kept her head down as some noticed her stage of life but didn't not acknowledge it. They didn't care anymore. They only appreciated the living because it was who they related to the most. But now, the table has turned and they didn't mind her, in fact, some envied her. It wouldn't be the first time she was resented by the dead.

They arrived to the black gates with no guards. Bradshaw pushed through them and went on his way, Hazel trotting behind him like a dumb, limping dog. She just pulled her coat tier around her torso as the wind continued to blow. She didn't recall the weather in Oltre Malavita being so brutal and harsh.

She eyed the back of Bradshaw see through body. He was a slow walker with slight grace. Hazel found that funny, but then dismissed the thought. She wasn't laughing either way.

They made their way to hall that seemed to be endless, departed from the same dim light at the end. Hazel now walked beside the smooth walking general, feeling guilted by each second. He man was silent the whole time they traveled to the castle. She felt it was the appropriate time to say her sorrows.

"I'm sorry for what happen to your home." She stated. "My friends and I didn't mean to fail you all. Percy has caused great damage to Oltre Malavita and its his fault for it, but-"

"He has also helped up a great deal as well, young girl." Bradshaw stated. "He defended the army we would have lost too."

They stopped and stared at each other. Bradshaw was exactly scolding her, barely sassing really. He was just stated the good to her harsh bad. Hazel wasn't sure how she felt about that or of Bradshaw in that moment.

He was the first to walk on, steps ahead of her. She finally caught up to see the light at the end now being her heading on entree. She saw the dim lighted room, that she assumed was the throne room at one point of time, hold a single narrow and slim bed. On it was a thin, honey body under some covers, with a mop of greasy black hair took place at the top, sticking out among the ill infected soul. Bradshaw grabbed her by the arm before moving closer, looking down at her in a look that was as serious and cold as the wind.

"Don't say anything negative to our king about the pearl of Oltre Malavita. He is weak, and he will not tolerate it. I won't let him."

_I'm his sister._ Hazel snapped at him in her mind. _I come before some bastard who_ _done him wrong_.

She decided against it anyhow. She understood why he had threaten her in the first place and knew she would do the same in his position. It still irked her greatly through. She nodded anyway and pulled her arm away. She walked over to the left side of the bed, gasping silently at what she found.

It was Nico. She thought,at least. He was so deathly ill looking at she could barely recognize him. His skin was paler then the last time she seen him, paler then she ever seen before. His lean muscles seem to vanish underneath his skin, leaving him with only bones, making his arms thin and his cheeks hallow. His bumpy chest slow rises up and deepen down like each breath was painful, like it was hard to keep and release. The dark, charcoal black bags under his eyes were as dark as his hair used to be, which was now slightly lighter, like it was possibly turning grey at his young age. It was as if she was looking at his still heart beat corpse and it frighten her to no end.

"My Gods..." She trembled visionally. Bradshaw stood at the end of the bed.

"Will...will he live?" Her voice was close to a cry but masked itself as a whispered.

"Most likely." Bradshaw replied. Hazel wanted a firm yes or no but bit her tongue back. "With the proper care and medicine. Also, plenty of rest, he will live and be healthy and healed again."

Hazel turned back down to her brother. His head turned a bit before his dark eyes slowly blinked opened. They focused on her first, and she smile down on him, not sure on what else to do.

"Hazel?..." His voice was so soft, almost soundless. He turned his head only slightly and then suddenly flinched in pain. "What are you doing here?..."

Hazel couldn't find her voice at first, only staring at his in total disbelief. He was not dead, but very close to it.

She bent down to his level, on to her knees. She took his hands and tried not to break down again. _Gods, I need a break_.

"I just needed to see if you were okay." Hazel said. "We... We all saw the battle."

Hazel then went on to tell him about her work with the most and the Iceland land and how they all saw everything. She also explained about how Percy was the cause for the water problem. Then she went on saying that after seeing him go down like that that she had to come back and see him, to see if he was alive or not.

Nico's pained face mainly stayed the same. He castes his eyes away from her when she spoke about the battle and how they saw his defeat with the leader of the tyrants. They stayed hidden when she went on to Percy, but the light changed inside them, like they became more distant and were locked away into another new world that she and her talking didn't exist.

"I'm alright, Hazel." His responds was along with a squeeze of the hand. "I'm weak and I almost died but I'm okay."

"How did you survive?" Hazel asked.

"They didn't hit my spot." Nico simply answered. Hazel got the hint that he wasn't going to tell her about his secret mortal point. She didn't blame him; she would keep it to herself as well. All she knew is that he still had his iron skin, even if it was very visible.

"They came close through, didn't they?" Hazel edged on carefully.

Nico stayed silent. He only looked out into the dark shadows of the walls in front of him.

She moved on. "Nico... Your work is done here. You did what Hades wanted. The war is over and you have won. Come back home."

She saw a slight jump from Bradshaw when she stated her desire, but she didn't care. She just wanted her brother back.

"We will take care of you. We can heal you on the way back and everything. You can come live in New Rome or go and stay at Camp Half-Blood and-."

"No, I can't." Nico cut her off suddenly, like he couldn't take even the temptation of the offer. "I have been visited by my father again. I have more business here I need to take care of. Oltre Malavita needs me, and I don't want to leave it. Not yet, anyway."

Bradshaw still stood stiff but Haze was somewhat annoyed with both of them. She knew it was very childish but she was just upset at her refusal. It just wasn't fair.

"What do you have to do here?" Hazel asked.

Nico tried to shift his position on the bed but it was too hurtful for him so he stopped. "I haven't been given the full intrusions yet, but I have been told that I need to heal and build my strength back up before I do anything, and that might take awhile."

Hazel glared back at Bradshaw. The general only looked at her bleakly. "It is doable though. With time and care, our stronger then death King will be healthy again. Just time and care."

Nico squeezed her hand again. "Bradshaw knows what he is doing Hazel. Don't worry."

That's all she did but she didn't voice that fact. Hazel stayed quiet as the two other men did the same. She didn't know what else to ask or to say. He was alive and she was happy about that, yes. But she was still extremely off edge by the sight of his state in the bed.

"How..." Nico tensed again in pain. "How is Percy?" He asked carefully.

Hazel felt herself fill in rage. She was ungodly mad at his pitiful request. _Why would you like to know the well being of the monster that did this to you? I can tell you now that he is doing a lot better then you! _

She kept that inside her flaming mind as she let a bit of a glare aimed at him take place on her face. She was screaming on the inside but managed to keep calm enough to answer.

"He's fine, I guess." She shrugged. "He passed out after the tragedy, but I suppose his okay."

Nico didn't like her answer, she could tell. He didn't say anything of it though as he stubbornly turned his head away. She felt bad for the message she gave out, but made no action to return it.

"Hazel," Nico spoke her name with some force. It was rather mad, but more like stubborn need. "My sword, over here by me..."

Hazel was hesitant but did so anyway. She stood and walked to his right, finding his forever old black iron sword, leaning against the frame. She took hold of the handle and held it, waiting for more instructions.

"Take it." Nico ordered. "Take it and give it to Percy. Tell him that it all okay, that none of this is his fault. Tell him I'm sorry for what I had done to him. Tell him that I will come back for him."

Hazel looked at her brother, predicting to see revenge and anger in his eyes, but that wasn't the case at all.

"Tell him that it's all okay. That I'm okay, and that I will return back to him." Nico pleaded for her to do so, and she just couldn't deny him. She nodded, feeling the blade under her fingers. She wasn't sure if she should keep the promise or not.

She said nothing, but still took the sword.

{...}

It was about midnight when Percy burst into her room.

She was finally in bed and sleeping comfortably; the only thing she had longed to do since her arrival back to the boat. She had entered in, everyone staring at her and the sword she carried. She quickly voiced the news about Nico being alive but weak, and that he was being healed soon. She also lied and stated a false demand for the department of the land by him. She walked on before any of them asked anything. She entered into her room, laid into the bed, and fell asleep as the boat set sail for the sea once again.

Percy had woken her up in a fright. She literally jumped out of bed, ready to run out and fight off whatever monster was attacking now, to only find a wide eyed demigod in her room. He stared at her in a confused strains, like he was acting off a mere thought or notion. _Wouldn't be the first time,_ Hazel bitterly thought.

She stood there, feeling her own glare tighten and narrow with meaning to do so. She was getting angrier by the second. She didn't want to around this so called hero; she wanted to get out of the same room as him before she blew. She just didn't want to be around someone she didn't know anymore. She just didn't want to be around the same demigod that could have also been her brother's murderer.

"What?!" She finally snapped at him. He flinched back in hurt. _Good_, she thought. "What do you want? Do you want to drown me to death too?!"

She watched as the pain in his eyes grew, but his mouth remained sealed. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't speak. That only made Hazel even angrier. She recalled what Nico asked for her to do and she almost scuffed in loathing. _Like hell I'll give him that sword if it's not up his ass_, she bit back her threat.

"Speak!" She snapped at him, becoming enraged by the silence. Percy only looked at her with guilt and sorrow in his eyes. She huffed when nothing came and resisted the urge to strangle him. The sound of hurrying feet on wood was what stopped her.

"Nico says _his_ sorry." Hazel spatted at him, wanting any kind of reaction from him. "That everything is okay, even through it isn't. And that his the one who's sorry."

Percy's eyes, that were always big and bright and filled with emotions changed dramatically at her statement. She wanted edge him on more, but the change made her stop. Her rage subsided for a solid second, softening her attitude as noticed something sad in the mix of green and blue.

"I'm so sorry." Percy started. "I'm so, so sorry. I never wanted to hurt Nico. I couldn't even think of doing it."

Hazel stopped as she began to notice him on the very near edge of sobbing. She never seen Percy cry before. It scared her.

He took a moment to breath before starting again. "I hurt so many people in my life. And so many times... I thought I was as bad as the evil villains and demands because of it. I hated myself. I hated my life and everything I have done in it. Before I arrived in Oltre Malavita, I didn't even believed that I deserved to live when I had taken so many lives. I had spread so much death and pain and misery. I was broken beyond repair, living a hell of a life that was worse then Tartarus. The same one I went back to every night. _Every fucking night_... But I also couldn't began to ask for death since I didn't deserve the release from it. I deserved to live with the pain and guilt I brought into myself for what I had done. And if I did, I should have been sent straight to Tartarus, because that's where I belong. I wasn't a hero. I was a _monster_."

Hazel couldn't began to explain everything she saw in his eyes, or what she heard in his voice. She was frozen, stacked by his hurt and self loathing. She never thought of him in that state of mind.

By then, the other three demigods had found the two in her bedroom. They stopped when they saw Percy and were paralyzed just like her.

"A monster..." He repeated. His eyes were still aching to look at, but they changed again to something brighter, yet sweeter in a kinder sense. "But Nico saved me. He saved me so many times, even more then I couldn't begin to explain. He healed me, fixed me. He held me every night when I cried and suffered. I woke up to him telling me none of it was real and that I would never go back there. He promised to keep me safe, to protect me and make me happy. He promised to never let me be hurt again, and, goddamn it, I was so happy to finally have that. He understood the pain that I felt and helped me through it. He told me that everything that I have done, all the evil things that haunted me, we're not my fault and said that I really was a hero. To not only him but to everyone. And I _believed_ him. I believed him and trusted him. He nursed me back into a happy way of being, to accepting myself as a whole, both good and bad, and made me love myself as I..."

His voiced trailed off, the light in his eyes brighter. Hazel predicted the rest but found it hard to believe herself. She glanced back to Jason who didn't look at her. She should have taken that as a sign, but didn't and listened on to Percy.

The demigod looked at her again, his eyes finally letting go of his tears. "I never wanted to hurt my angel. I couldn't image myself doing it. I thought of him constantly. I cared for him. I dreamed of him and me with a long happy life together in a heavenly place where no one could effect us. Just me and him, forever... How could I live with him if I killed him..."

He was crying full on now. Hazel watched in total unexplainable shock and guilt as she watched the hero fall to the floor onto his knees. He was breaking down for the first time over everything, and Hazel couldn't believe why.

"_I love your brother_!" He screamed.

Hazel watched him sobbed, guilt and realization settling into her mind. She understood everything now. Percy calling him his savior, Nico giving her the sword...

Hazel glanced to Jason in awe. Reyna and him didn't look surprised by the confession, like they saw it coming, possibly, already knew it. Annabeth kept her eyes casted downward, not shocked but confirmed in the news. They all held pity for Percy.

Hazel looked down at the breaking demigod, not knowing rather to hug him or not. She stood there like an idiot for a while, her mouth ajar, before caught in sight of the sword and decided what to do then.

She took the black blade out of her nearby chair and held it before him. He didn't notice at first but when he did, he didn't take it. He only looked at her with sad, broken eyes, like his soul was in the same condition.

She understood then what the two held together. The connection so strong and the attachment so strict. They were just two Herod trying to save the one they loved that most, and it ended in a classic Greek tragedy.

Hazel put it into his hands, using her own fingers to make his take it and hold it by the handle.

"He said he's coming back. No matter what, he will return back... For you."

{...}

I could never kill off Nico, guys. I be just as heartbroken as you all.

Also, sorry if I made Hazel really bitchy. I thought this would be anyone's reaction to her own brother's death. But she came around at the end. Sorry if Percy speech was long and nonmoving, I tried.

Thanks for reading. Sorry for the late update. Please review!


	22. Chapter 22

Jason took the whole morning to handle the supplies for the boat. With Percy now on, which made another mouth to feed, Jason had to create a new system of the production of food. Yes, Leo and Calsypo saved his ass with the free ship with a lot of supplies on it, but it still changed everything with Percy now aboard. Not that it was his fault or anything, no. Jason is at fault for not counting him in with the future knowledge of him coming aboard anyway. He didn't voice the concern in fear that it would get back to Percy, which is something he didn't want to happen. The kid had enough problems as it is.

Last night was the most shocking part of the whole journey. He never seen anyone to break down so entirely like that, and to know that it was the greatest hero of Olympus to be having it was ungodly...

Yes, he will admit it: he was pretty 110% sure that Percy and Nico were romantically together when they first arrived into Oltre Malavita. He just could tell it by the way they looked at each other with such affection and attendant. He was taught by Piper to always look at the looks the two share to fully determine the true nature of the relationship and he knew it was love right away. Not only was Nico's stares at Percy brighter in love and stronger in passion then he has ever seen him have before, but Percy reflected the devotion full heartily. He noticed it straightaway when the four first spoke to both Percy and Nico the same night they arrived. He noticed how Percy looked at Nico the whole time Reyna informed him of the travel to Oltre Malavita and how it scared him to shit when he saw.

Well, a part of him was scared to shit. The other was _ecstatic_.

Using his girlfriend's terminology, he had been secretly shipping Nico and Percy for a while now. It wasn't till the end of the war and Annabeth and Percy were bluntly breaking apart when he became obsessed with the idea. He just knew that if Percy asked, Nico would come running like a bat out of hell. Or, well, take Percy away and bring him to where he was, in this case. But, then again, maybe that was what they both needed to get through the aftermath. Percy just might needed to get away from everyone. And maybe Nico knew that from self experience.

He could tell that Nico still felt a strong attraction towards the sea god's spawn when he left Camp Half-Blood. He knew that Nico knew the truth, like he did; that after the war and everything, Percy and Annabeth would officially be together forever if they survive the aftermath of Tartarus together. But sadly, or maybe even fortunately, that didn't turn out correct. Maybe Cupid threw the sad and lonely Hades's hire a break, and it just arrived a little late. Or maybe the evil God of love wanted to torture the boy more with the tease of finally giving him of what he longed for for so long, and then causing the fates to be cruel and taking it away from it, along with his kingdom and almost his life.

Jason recalled the dangerous encounter perfectly; thinking of it so much has caused him to have it impacted into his memory like a permanent marker streak. He hated to image it again, making him feel so guilty and sick. He never really loathed love in a form till that day. He had only known the kind that Piper had expressed, the kind they shared together. That day was a meeting with a crueler version of the so called sweet sensation and he saw it take the very best strength and dignity of a very power demigod who had been through too much as it is. That was probably the worse he had ever seen of Nico, all broken down and scared. _And that was his biggest fear... Himself._

He then recalled what he saw last night, and how both of the witnessed events were so similar on the same ruthless matter, all over the same vicious passion that connected them together so sweetly and tightly. He recalled how easily Percy broke down, and how long he had needed the breakage to happen. He wondered if it was the same for Percy now, if is biggest fear was now himself and his ability, or was that the case the whole time.

Jasonhad finished his job at the basement of the ship and traveled up the steps to the head deck. He planned on speaking to Reyna and Annabeth about what to do next once they get back to Camp with Percy. He was honestly afraid of the discussion, not wanting to hear Annabeth nag about Percy and his condition and how she could only handle it. And he knew that Reyna would try not to take either side, but would secretly be leaning towards her because of her affection to the blonde.

He came to the deck and found him there, sitting in a chair with his feet prodded into the railing, as he looks out into the ocean with misty, loving eyes. His hair was messy and he really needed to shave but, surprisedly overall, he was happy, truly happy. He couldn't believe the sight.

Jason decided to walked over to him. Mainly to see if it was true, and partly because he really didn't want that talk with the two other girls on the ship. He took a seat in the chair next to him and tried to be as causal as possible. He didn't want to be like a curious yet cautious wonder or a person who forced to do this. He wasn't really either of those. He was a real friend who just wanted to sit with his friend, and it was true. Percy, _this_ Percy, was his friend that he knew and loved and wanted back. He realized then that maybe Nico had this Percy all this time while they were hunting down for the other and ended up finding and taking his. Guilt dropped to his gut more, making it harder to think but he managed. He glanced out to the solid blue waves of water and found it lovely.

"It's beautiful out here." He commented.

"It's the ocean. It's always beautiful." Percy replied smoothly, like the wind that was gently blowing through their hair.

A soft moment of silent passed between the two. It was easy, yet worrisome.

"Did someone send you here to speak to me?" Percy asked with a true sly smirk.

"No, I just wanted to talk to you. I have spent the whole morning down with the supplies." Jason told the truth. "You look happy."

"I am happy." He smiled at him.

"Why?" Jason asked. "I was afraid you wouldn't be after..." His voice trailed off.

"I know Nico will come back." He responded.

A moment of silence passed again. Jason would hope he would explain his confidence in the matter but none came. Jason saw it perfectly and clearly through. It was the brightness in his eyes and the wideness in his smile.

"How do you know?" Jason asked.

Percy looked at him like he was a cute, silly kid. Yet, there was a blissful gleam in his eyes. "He promised. His sword is prof of that."

Jason never recalled being so dumbfounded by a single simple answer in his life. It wasn't like it was pathetic or dumb; it was just the fact that it was serious and real that made him awed. It seemed somewhat childish and pitiful to anyone else, but Jason knew Percy. Percy was the kind of person who took promise to a very serious matter and the fact that he undoubtedly trusted someone's promise meant something, and the fact it was Nico's made him have faith in the promise too.

They didn't exactly talked for a while after that; the silence returned. But soon they were chatting like they normally did years ago when everything in the world was okay, minus the fact that Gaea was about to rise and destroy everything. It felt great, in all honesty. It was like the three years of hellish aftermath had not happened yet and they were just teenagers again with a stable friendship and minds. Like they weren't haunted by the terrors of everything they been through.

They spent the good part of the rest of the day there. Both feet were crossed up onto the railing and they stared out into the ocean together. Percy was more at bliss then him, and it was positively proven on his face. Jason felt good throughout the time, and knowing that Percy wasn't putting up his fake front was even better.

Jason was truly his friend and he did believe in and care for Percy. For the two boys to become friends instead of mortal enemies was declared a success in his book, but when Percy was going through his breakdown back at Camp Half Blood with the hunter girl... He was scared that would not be as merciful as his own faith if he ever crossed the demigod under his emotional disability. He had been told about the time that Percy and his own sister, Thalia Grace, had gotten into it once over the kidnapping of Annabeth years ago during a game of capture the flag. It wasn't fully given all the detail of the event and what really set both of the ticking time bombs off but the message was still undoubtably clear: things could have ended very badly if not stopped in time. And thankfully, it barely was.

He recalled his own conflict with Percy, back when they just met and went off to the Argo II. He had heard everything about Percy from everyone at Camp in the nine months he spent happily there with Piper and Leo. It was early on the next step, where they all were still trying to find the Doors of Death and had to stop in Kansas to find the Wine God. He recalled how they had a contest between their horses, that was friendly enough, and he won which was even better. But it was after the planned encounter where his memory became frizzy. He only recalled the wind through the grass and the feeling of pure rage as he sped off head first to empale Percy in the chest.

Thank the Gods that Piper was there to save both of them, and later on, save them again when she charmspoked the demons out of them. But he could never forget how he was so driven to kill the sea spawn and knew, without a doubt, that the feeling was also infested inside him at that same moment. He wondered if he still felt the evil emotion too.

Jason turned to look at him again. His black hair was naturally blowing also with the wind in a lovely dance and his sea green eyes were dazzling bright. They made him think of Piper's constantly changing irises and made him remember how much he loved and missed her.

"He told me about it." Percy spoke up.

Jason only stared at him.

Percy snickered. "Nico, I mean. He told me about how long he loved me and how you were the only other soul that knew because of the encounter you two shared with Cupid."

Jason never felt so ungodly stunned in his life. He knew this was true now. _If Nico told him...Oh Gods..._

Jason could never forget the first and hopefully last time he had met the love God. He recalled very perfectly how cruel and evil and everything not love related he was. He still thought about how viciously he spoke about the suppose wonderful thing and how he spatted out its sins like it was poison. Jason actually thought for a moment that it was and was even convinced of so for a great part of his time in that damn room.

It was what really made him part away from his strict Roman ways. He learnt from Piper that the Greek love they shared was much more gentle and kinder. Roman, in all things, was anything but. He should have known it was the same way for that type of matter.

He felt worse for Nico the most though. He hated seeing the poor guy in that kind of torture. He could already, before the travel there, assume that the young boy at 14 had already had a very rough and mean life, and the fact that he had to be so humiliated in such a cruel way made him have even more pity for him.

And it was totally understandable for why it was so embarrassing and frightening for Nico to go through the telling of his most kept secret. It was impossible _not_ to understand. He was from the 1940's were homosexuals were being slaughtered along with the Jews in Europe, and it was already incredibly disapproved by society then. It had been set into his mind that it was wrong and sinful and it must have scared the boy senseless to realize that he was it. And to have no one to tell and understand in that time or this... And then, just to top it all off like icing on a cake, he was madly and uncontrollably in love with Percy Jackson. The golden boy, at the time, that was also madly and uncontrollably in love with Annabeth Chase.

"He told me about how hopeless he knew it all was." Percy mused as his eyes became distant. "Yet, in the most fascinating way, he kept hope for just a little bit longer at a time."

Jason wasn't sure if he should speak so he didn't. His lips stayed sealed.

"I could never predict this, but it happened and I so grateful it did." Percy stated. "I know that in the life of a demigod... It's only tragedies after another and all the things that are good and gold and pure fade off into dust and are gone forever. But I believe that this is too good to be gone. I believe that this was meant to be. That the Fates, themselves wanted this to happen and it did. Now, it is forever permanent."

Jason could tell he meant every word. He knew that it indeed permanent. Or well, he hoped so. He also thought that Percy and Annabeth were permanent but he was proven wrong about that too.

{...}

It wasn't till the end of the next day when Jason failed his attempt to escape the dreadful fight with Annabeth and Reyna. He hoped that maybe Hazel would be there to back him up, but she wasn't.

The sun was setting, making the sky a pretty shade of orange. The clouds were now a thin line of almost nothing. The sun was almost half way gone, slowly be swallowed away by the forever deep ocean. The sea had been kind to them on there return home. Jason knew that was mainly, if not entirely, because of Percy.

He hadn't spoken to the boy since yesterday. The sea spawn hasn't came out of his room till earlier that morning, before anyone else was up, to fix the boat's direction into the right path. Jason had no idea how he caught onto his and the girl's secret of going to Camp Half Blood, but the demigod knew and aimed for the direction when he could have easily changed it to go back to Oltre Malavita without any of them knowing. Jason was with Annabeth when they found it, also discovering that they were originally heading for the top part of Canada. Annabeth only huffed since she was the one who calculated the plots in the first place.

He was caught off guard when he entered into the trap area. He just wanted to go off and grab him a bottle of water-a fairly simple task-when they enter into the same room at the other doorway at the exact same time as him. He didn't think of it at first till the glared him down and he realized he was a victim then.

"Fuck." He mumbled under his breath after he grabbed his water and sat down. Annabeth was sitting in front of him and Reyna stood and paced. Annabeth tapped her long fingers on the table top like she was thinking over what she was about to say a few times before she actually said it. Reyna still just paced like she usually did. Jason had worked with her most of his life and he just came to the fact it was something she just did, and he had to get over it. No matter how hard it was to think when she was near and doing it.

"How's Percy?" Annabeth finally spoke. It sounded somewhat bitter on her tongue.

Jason was about to answer when he finally came to realization of the problem. She hadn't spoken to Percy at all during his time here on the boat for two days. Jason felt himself become loathing against everyone else.

He didn't understand their way of thinking and why it lead to resentment to Percy. He was still Percy. Even better now, really. He was locked up in his room most of the time, yes, and didn't come out for anything but food. But for Christ's sake, why do you think he does so? Jason could feel the fucking hate in the room well enough without him suffering in its present.

"Why do you care?" Jason hissed at her.

"We need to plan the rest of the plan, Jason." She hissed back. "We need to know his state and since you're the only one who can handle him-."

"He's a human, you know? Not a fucking wild animal."

"He acts like one enough to get the two which up."

"Enough." Reyna stabbed out into the tense air with her sharp knife of a tongue. She stared at each of them meanly, like disobedient children in time out.

"Jason," she spoke calmly. "We just need to know if you think that Percy is...well enough to be placed back at Camp Half Blood."

Jason looked at her with confusion scattered across his face in a very blunt manner. He knew about Chiron's banishing the demigod from staying at camp ever again after the event of the hunter girl who should have kept her mouth shut. But now... He could easily see the head counselor looking over the matter and letting the hero in, especially the same hero who was like a son to him.

Jason took a deep breath, trying his best to stay calm even through it was extremely difficult with the two other demigods in the room with him. "I believe, in my own respected view of him, he is stable enough to do so."

"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked with a raised eyebrow and Jason was _just about _to snap.

He counted to ten in his head before speaking again, even fearing then that he might he mind blow. "Yes."

"Why?" She requested.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting a quiz or an essay to be done to prove my own option." He sassed at her a bit.

"It was a simple question, you-!"

"Enough!" Reyna called out again in her harsh, leader tone. She turned softly to Jason as she finally took a seat. "Jason, we just want to make sure. We are looking out for the absolute best for Percy, just like you. We're his friends too."

"Friends?" He recounted. "Friends who don't even talk about him? Who don't even bother to make an effect to make any kind of communication with him because they're scared that he'll go mad like a wild animal?"

"Well, _Sparky_," Annabeth snarled at him. "If you haven't noticed yet, he is, unmistakably, acting as one!"

Jason felt his face go red and his blood began to boil uncontrollably. He never thought that his friend would go so low on this level that she was so below of herself. Yes, he got it, it hurt like a bitch to now be apart from a part of yourself in this type of matter. It was understandable to get why she would act out like a judgmental brat but this was unfair and uncalled for. He looked up to Reyna to find no help there. He lost his temper then.

"Or maybe it's because he has been closed up and treated like a wild animal when he was with you that he is ungodly desperate to get that freedom he _had with Nico_ back!"

Jason and Annabeth both shot up like a pair of ignited rocket and were about to make a explosive fight that would have surely ended badly, and they would have, if Reyna didn't scream and stabbed the mahogany table with her golden sword.

For a solid second, everything was still. Even the breathing among the three.

For a solid second, Jason debated to go on anyway.

For a solid second, Jason hated everything.

But one certain thing-one special detail-that made his skin crawl more then anything else out of the whole damn mess was the fact that Nico's own name could never be voiced in the boat, rather you were alone or not. It was like it was the deadly sin to ever be committed. _And that wasn't right. _

Jason understood the shock, and he figured that he was not so probed to it all because he knew it years before, and he was always secretly hopeful for the two finally getting together, but this was idiotic and childish. He wasn't certain was it was such a touchy subject for Nico to be even mention anymore; why, whenever someone wanted to say his name, it was bitten back with a harsh bite of the teeth. He just didn't get why Percy, who was just like Nico, was the talk among the boat, but Nico could be as well as dead to them all for anyone else to tell.

He knew it wasn't because of the newly discover homosexuality of them that caused it all. He knew for sure that Reyna didn't mind and wasn't very ignorant of the type of life since it was common in New Rome. He knew that Hazel was slowly coming to good terms with it. He could understand her status with it since it was viewed as a dark, disgusting, and dangerous thing back in her original time. And for her brother to be it... Well, she needed time to adjust. He could even understand Annabeth and her attitude towards it, but it still wasn't the less bit fair.

_How can you accept one without the other?_

Then he soon realized that they didn't accept the first one at all either.

Jason knew then why they cared about his option on Percy state of mind and emotions. Why checking with him if sending Percy to Camp Half Blood would be a good idea. He never loathed them so much in his life...

Jason huffed roughly. "Look, I understand that you guys don't like this, but being total jerks about it isn't cool either."

"Jason, its not like that-"

"Yes it is!" Jason snapped again at Reyna. "You guys are going to dump him at Camp Half Blood and leave him and forget about him because you don't want to deal with him-!"

Annabeth stood up by now, her face completely red with rage as he fists were tightly sealed and her vein in her neck pumped out of her skin. "I have took care of him and tried to fix him for three years now to only get nothing in return! To only be beat out by some _devil's spawn_ that he claims he's madly in love with! Well, if he wants him so _damn_ bad, let him have it!"

She stormed out of the room in a thundering march that was even felt and heard after the slamming of the door. Reyna stood there for a minute before the Latina beside him just sighed heavily before sitting down again. Jason joined her after a moment of hesitance.

"Jason," Reyna's face was held in her hands. "Please, be honest."

Jason wanted to say he was but he only waited for her to look at him before nodding softly. He wasn't mad at Reyna. He didn't have a reason to be.

"I have been told that he used to love Camp Half Blood." She stated. Her eyes were tired and spiritless. "And I'm afraid to put him back in New Rome, with or without Annabeth."

"I understand." Jason agreed. He really did. New Rome was hell for Percy before, with the constant memory of what happen there during the war and how he blamed himself for it. Jason wasn't sure if he still blamed himself for it but he didn't want to risk like Reyna.

"I think it will be better for him to go back to his home." Reyna stated. "I don't want to send him to his mother's because we wouldn't be able to monitor him there. We all want to make sure his okay."

"Yeah." Jason nodded along. It was summer after all. Percy usually, years back into the past, went to Camp for the summer after the school year ended.

"I think..." Reyna's aging voice trailed off as she shook her head and put her face back into her hands. Jason understood the load on her shoulders. She knew that Annabeth would be no help to the mess, and either would Hazel. And Jason wasn't much help for her either at this point. So it was all up to her, the right person with the right enough of power to fix this and take all the needed steps to making Percy's life a bit easier for a while.

"Jason, are you telling me the truth about Percy?" Reyna required.

"Yes." Jason nodded. "He's happier, in a way. He's not exactly like how we found him in Oltre Malavita with Nico, but he is far from what he was like before he ran away."

Reyna looked at him oddly for a second before turning away in heavily calculated confusion. "But how?" It was more to herself then him.

Jason bite down his lip in slight fear. He wasn't sure if Reyna would take his answer as acceptable, hell she might even laugh or hit him for being so stupid, but he knew that not answering her would be worse.

"He has made amends with his past, I think." Jason started off. He nervously tapped his fingers on the table. "He said Nico helped him with all of that. He said that Nico help him get over everything he blamed himself for. He even helped him with the...um..."

"Oh." Reyna said, which was only followed by silence.

They all knew what it meant. What the truly real problem with Percy and what he was really suffering through after the war. It was the source for all of his self hatred and evilness. They all knew it. It was like Nico's name; they don't talk about it at all. Annabeth went through the same thing, but healed after some time with some help. She was the easier one-the one least damaged-to fix.

Percy had been through so much, to the point where relationship of the matter and identical empathy was impossible for anyone to share with him. They couldn't have that; not even Annabeth.

But maybe Nico did...

He went through _there_, too. He must have suffered from nightmares, too.

"What's so different now then what it was before?" Reyna asked him finally. "What's changed?"

"Faith." Jason answered immediately. "Percy now has faith this time. He was hopeless on everything and everyone before, himself most of all. Now with Nico... Look, Percy takes that sword and His word as serious as a swear on the river of Styx just because it came from Nico. He has faith that Nico will come back for him. Rather that truly happens or not, Percy going to hang on to that hope till it happens. It's what will keep him going. He will stay well and stable for Nico's sake when he returns."

"And if he doesn't?" Reyna asked.

"He will." Jason stated. "You know how Nico is. He will come back for Percy. He _will_."

Reyna knew it just like him and finally nodded in agreement to his statement.

The deal was made then: Percy will go back to Camp Half Blood, and Nico will survive.

{...}

I am so so so so sorry for the extremely long update. I have not abandoned the story, time and the willingness and data to up load this chapter had abandoned me.

School is about to start and updates might be long from now on. I hope not as long at this one but we'll have to see.

Please review and keep reading, I'm so sorry.


	23. Chapter 23

Percy hated them all. He never loathed so many people in his life other then the gods and the fates. But these four so called friends of his took the cake without a second doubt.

He hated them. _He hated them..._

Just the constant recalling he had repeating in his mind over what they done to him made him sick and raging mad.

He was so mad, mainly because he felt mistreated and betrayed. For them, who had the gall to call themselves him friends, he would think they would want to best for them, that they would support him in his decisions of his own happiness... But no. Gods fucking NO!

They wanted him to go through hell again. They wanted him suffering like he was before he got the hell away from them. They didn't want him to be happy but to be miserable. Miserable and sad and damage and without his Nico...

Nico... Gods, he missed him so much. He was going insane with worry over his health. And the guilt from the fact of him being the one who hurt him so badly in the first place only made it worse. He hated himself for it. He wanted to murder himself for it. How could he just so easily loose control like that and basically almost destroy his beautiful home, along with the love of his life? He hated himself for it, and it drove him insane with shame and guilt.

He passed out after the attack. All of his energy was literally drained out of his body, taking every ounce of it for his terrible act. He didn't even realize it at first, even taking it as if he was gaining energy from the way his anger ran through his limbs and the way his stomach cramped painfully. It was shorted lived as it fall out very quickly, leaving him with lost balanced and a blurry sight. Everything was soon black and he was out.

He entered back into hell then. But not the same one as before.

He used to hate sleeping because he went straight back into Tartarus. He relived the same thing to destroy him every night. Crumbling his mind and his sanity..

He used to recently love it because he was with Nico, in his strong arms, literally embellished into their love. It was the heavenliest thing in the world, making everything else disappear to where only they existed.

But now... He didn't go back to Tartarus. Oh no, it wasn't that blissful.

He revision what he had done to Oltre Malavita, even though he had never seen it before while he was awake. And it was stationed as if he was in the land and seeing it from the boat at the same time. He felt the terrible shaking of the land right under his feet and saw it as it cracked open in various area in the land. It caused chaos, making some spirits fall over and crawl desperately to stumble back up. He let the roaring winds as the powerfully pressed against his body, along with the spirits who were scattering to get away, some even being casted away from the wind into a different place where they touched the ground again and ran off. Some never touched down again and blew off to where they could not be seen and weren't so again.

But the most terrifying part of the nightmare like reality is when the water starts to take control of the madness going on. It's rage start so slow and smoothly moves along into a rampage of crazy and careless motions that were only meant to destroy.

And that what they did... That's what he did...

He saw and felt the wave grow into a higher and stronger status, towering over the land that was filled with not only his beloved people but also the despised intruders trying to take over it. He only focused on the tyrants and how they were killing and spreading madness inside his beautiful home. How they were trying to ruin it all and kill it's peace and beauty. How they were trying to kill his Nico... And for a solid moment they almost did.

That was the factor that tipped Percy over board. Seeing Nico on the ground motionless after that powerful strike to the back of his knee, and knowing what that meant for him... And then seeing it and believing it...

He only wanted death them. Not for himself bit for the monsters who done it. Who caused it, and deserved it.

He didn't notify that he was on that list after what he had done. It didn't fully hit him of all of the damage due to power till after to came to. It was Reyna who told him everything. His breakdown and the aftermath of the city and how it was so death...

He recalled everything after that. Every his dreams of seeing and reliving what happen surfaced in his mind again.

_He killed Oltre Malavita. The people and the land..._

_He did it..._

_And his Nico was dead..._

_Nico was dead._

The wild started spinning and he felt like dying. He wanted to die. So much...

Reyna continued on to explained that it wasn't what he thought. He was wrong. Nico was alive and healing and the land was coming back to normal. Hazel went to see Nico to clarify.

That's when Percy lost his mind. He dashed to Hazel room with Reyna far off and confused behind him and that were it started.

He finally broke down in the matter of three years and finally let it all out. All because Hazel said those magical words.

"That everything is okay..."

He knew what Nico really meant. He loved him more then.

That's when he broke down, spilling his secrets about his terrors and how Nico healed them. He went off babbling off like a love sicken fool over it all and finally just cried. He knew they were all there to see it. It was the moment they had been waiting for. He was angry he gave it to them.

From that moment, from that damn weak moment on, he had hated everyone on that damn ship. He hated Reyna for being to calm and Jason for being to friendly and open. He hated Hazel for being so sorry about the misunderstanding and he hated her for everything fucking thing she ever done in her life, even fucking breathing.

He wished then they would turn the ship around let him leave the hellhole. He wanted to go back home and fix everything. He wanted to redo his wrong doing and fix his beautiful home again along with all of his people. He wanted his Nico back the most through. He wanted to heal him, just like how he did for him.

He hated them for not doing so.

In a different outside exceptive, they would see there mistake first by what he had done to Oltre Malavita. Then maybe again when he broke fucking down in front of them all when he finally relived the secret to Hazel once she gave him the sword. Obviously, the were blind to wanyone else but themselves.

Percy's anger only started to subside the first day they set sail. And for Jason Grace only. He was on the deck for fresh air. He wanted out of his small room where his absent school work teased him. He was so used to bigger spaces and his freedom to walk wherever he wanted from his time in Oltre Malavita. But now, he felt so concealed and trapped from his room and the almost unbearable awkwardness in the deck. He knew very well who was in the caption's room, but his ability to care was weaker then his fiery rage towards them.

He was enjoying his time relaxing and trying to keep the graved reminder of how he almost killed his love one at bay. He had just woken up that time, and the night before was terrible, with the guilt resurfacing and the flashbacks to the awful sight of his nearly dead body. He didn't sleep that night.

He just wanted the feeling and smell of the ocean to be with his at that moment, along with the long, smoothing, therapeutic waves of the water underneath. It wasn't the same as with Nico, but it was the closet he could get.

He didn't except for Jason to come up from below and come over and talk to him. He knew very well of his image on that damn boat and knew that no one wanted to be near him because who would honestly would want to be around a wild disaster like him? That's why he paid the blonde boy no mind. He assumed that he would go on and leave him alone, which is what he wanted most of the time from everyone since they made it obvious. They didn't want him around, and he didn't want them around... He only wanted Nico...

But Jason came over anyway. He took a seat next to Percy and prodded his feet up like his. Percy wanted to tell him to go fuck himself and leave him alone but he realized then that maybe he was a bit too mean. It was Jason after all, and he came up to him first. He thought about what Nico had said about him. And he recalled how he was such good friends with him before all hell broke loose. Maybe he should just calm down...

He decided then that even though he was extremely pissed, he wasn't going to let it show. He was good at hiding his true emotions, and it's not like any of them are going to noticed.

He waited quietly for Jason to start the conversation first, but it never came. He signed softly as he gleamed out to the water again. He felt his body settle into a blissful state again and he then spoke.

"It's beautiful out here." Jason commented.

"It's the ocean. It's always beautiful." Percy stated. The wind then picked up a bit and Percy felt his eyes become heavy. He loved this place and yet hated it. He never experienced that before and slightly wondered it he was becoming bi polar.

A silent moment passed between them, and Percy started to wonder if this was just another one of _her_ tricks again. He recalled all the time she would send one of her stupid friends or whatever over his way and tell them to make him talk or something. He never liked it; it made him feel like shit even more.

He finally asked when the wind's swooshing died down. "Did someone send you here to speak to me?" Percy asked, plastering on a sly smirk.

"No, I just wanted to talk to you. I have spent the whole morning down with the supplies." Jason told the what Percy assumed was the truth. Jason was naturally a bad liar, so the face his face was still relaxed and straight meant that he just might be telling the truth.

"You look happy." Jason added on.

_I'm not. _

"I am happy." He lied to him.

"Why?" Jason asked. "I was afraid you wouldn't be after..." His voice trailed off.

_After you brought me on here and forced me to leave? After my moment of weakness you all forced me to have last night when I found out that I almost killed my angel? After my episode of pure anger and power because everything in my life was going to hell? _

He tried to calm himself. He wanted to breath easily and think about the positive. He recalled last night and all of what Hazel said. Through her tone was hatful and spiteful, he found them wonderful and amazing to hear and hold onto. He could still feel the lining of the dark sword inside his hand. He was holding it in a dead grip last night, not wanting to let go of what it felt to him.

"I know Nico will come back." He responded. He knew it. It was what was going to happen.

Nico's word was solid and pure, permeant and guarantee. He knew his angel would come back to him. Nico promised him, he wouldn't let him down.

"How do you know?" Jason asked.

"He promised. His sword is prof of that." Percy simply stated. He didn't need to explain it to him.

Jason looked somewhat confused or caught off guard by the statement at first. He didn't speak after that, only sitting and thinking deeply into what he said. Or so that's what it looked like through Percy's point of view. Percy only looked back into the ocean, inhaling the salty sea air, when it came to him.

Jason was the only one who knew about Nico's feelings for him. He was the one who knew his deepest darkest secret and kept it that way when he did find out about it, which was in the meanest way possible. _Fucking Cupid..._

Nico had told him about the uneventful encounter when he spilled everything else about his life to him, the night they finally got together. He would never want that to happen for him, especially when it was drilled into his own mind that it was unnatural and sinful. And the fact he was uncomfortable about him as it was then... _Fucking_ _Cupid..._

"He told me about it." Percy spoke up. He figured he could at least talk about it with Jason, since he promise to never tell anyone about it, and he still wouldn't tell after it came out. That and he was still the only person that didn't seem to judge him and Nico. He was the only one who has talked to Percy since he came onto the ship.

The son of Zeus looked nervous and scared for a solid moment as the stared at the other demigod.

Percy snickered. "Nico, I mean. He told me about how long he loved me and how you were the only other soul that knew because of the encounter you two shared with Cupid."

Jason eyes got bigger. Percy could clearly read his mind: Oh shit.

"He told me about how hopeless he knew it all was." Percy told him. "Yet, in the most fascinating way, he kept hope for just a little bit longer at a time."

Percy felt him wondering off into his private part of his mind that was mainly about Nico. He knew he should stop, before he looked loved sick and all lovey dovey in front of Jason, but he couldn't stop it. The truth rolled down his tongue like honey and the taste was so sweet he couldn't stop it.

"I could never predict this, but it happened and I so grateful it did. I know that in the life of a demigod... It's only tragedies after another and all the things that are good and gold and pure fade off into dust and are gone forever. But I believe that this is too good to be gone. I believe that this was meant to be. That the Fates themselves wanted this to happen and it did. Now, it is forever permanent."

He tried to keep his voice level and his eyes clear. He didn't want to get emotional, not now in the wide opening and with Jason here. He didn't want the purpose of him coming out here in the first place go to waste. He just wanted great air and the feeling of the ocean to calm him down and clear his mind. Yes, he always went back to Nico, but he didn't want to think about all the good things all the time. He know that if he did he would end up depending on it for survival, and that's not what he wanted. He learnt that before hand, and he also knew that Nico wouldn't want him to be like that, to be constantly mourning and wanting to live in the past. He learnt that before hand, too.

Jason stayed quiet, but he looked at Percy with pity, making Percy want to cry while punching him in the face. All Percy wanted was Nico to be here to make everything better, solve the problem that wouldn't be made in the first place, and move on. He didn't even care if it was in Oltre Malavita anymore, he just wanted his angel back.

He turned back to still silent Jason and plastered on another soft smile. He be damned if he let any of them see him in that state again. He never been so embarrassed and broken in his life and the feeling was unbearable. It was like he was back down there, and it was worse because it felt like none of them cared. Hazel got down and hugged him and gave him the sword, yeah, but she was still in shock and probably didn't know what else to do. None of them did anything else about it either, so what's the point of showing them what he truly felt? They just might like seeing him that way, and Percy would be damner if he let that happen.

"Percy," Jason spoke. "I'm sorry. I... We-"

"Forget it." Percy stopped him. He didn't want an apologize. Apologize were pointless. They were fake and not fully refilling or completely fixable to the problem at hand. He hate apologizes.

"I'm fine. It's all okay." He lied.

{...}

It was the next day when everything was truly not okay. It was around sunset when it happened and a part of him, a scary dark part of him, was happy it did.

It was early in the morning, before anyone else was up, even the sun when he was out and roaming the ship. He wanted some fries air without anyone else being around him. He didn't want to risk the chance of them seeing him and just starting at him like a freak. He knew they would do that to them.

He went around everywhere. He rolled his feet to make sure he never made any noise and woke any of them up. He didn't want to cause mass panic among them, which would make him look crazier then they already assumed he was.

He made his way up to the captain's cabin, where the stirring of the ship took place. He found the design old fashioned, which he liked very much. He liked the fact that it wasn't all advanced technology controlling the ship and stirring it forward. He preferred working on functioning a ship in the traditional way, making him feel more like a master of the sea.

Percy liked ships and boats. He liked controlling them and working on them. Being the son of Poseidon, it came so naturally to him, to where he figured that it looked as if he been doing it all his life. The truth was, he only been on a ship a few times, and not for very long.

The captain's cabin was bare in a way. He assumed it was very rarely visited by someone, which somewhat worried him. He noticed the map of the world that was pinned down onto a table. He also noticed all the holes that was all surrounded among the same trial that came from Canada, up to Iceland in a northeast direction. He also noticed on a compass near by said that they were traveling in the direction of south instead of southwest like they needed to be.

He was going to change it to the correct direction when the thought of turning the ship completely around and heading back to Oltre Malavita-back to Nico- crossed his mind like a blaze of light that blinded him for a moment. It was the biggest temptation he ever held.

He ignored his desire for it, telling himself that Nico was going to come back soon to him. He changed it to southwest and even took a marker and traced out the trail for them on the map. It showed how they would keep going southwest till they got closer to New York and finally aim completely west to reach home.

He didn't know about the others, but he didn't was to end up in some country in Africa.

He left shortly after that, making his way back to his assigned room with blue walls. Normally, he would like the detail, but it was now the sight of madness to him, the true symbol of insanity. He was going to lose his mind in that damn room on that damn ship.

He couldn't do anything else but think of Nico while he was in that room. There was nothing to distract his constantly pointing mind that seemed to never waver on the image of his face or the way his accent sounded when he told him that he loved him. He couldn't get those dark blue eyes out his head either, and all the emotions they ever held when he was around.

It only caused the guilt to tenfold at each thought. He felt how his whole body hurt and how he hated it. He kept going back to his horrible dream where he destroyed his beautiful home and how he was so fucked up...

He finally cracked and stood from his meditating position on the floor (the bed was small and squeaky, making a loud pitch noise every time he breathed wrong). He needed the sweet sea air and some clearing of his crowded mind. He needed to get those images out of his head before he goes back to the state he was in before he was healed by Nico in Oltre Malavita. He knew that if he just let himself slip back there, where everything was hellish in the world, then he would let all of the things Nico and him have go to waste and it would mean nothing in the end, when it really meant everything to him in the end.

He walked out of the room and onto the deck. The sun was almost finished setting and the sky was becoming purple and more dark blue. He smiled at the sight, pretending that he was in Oltre Malavita for a moment as he glazed out into the view. He wanted to pretend that maybe the passed through days didn't happen and he was still living in the heavenly place. He wanted the wooden deck floor to turn into the stone and gold hallway of the castle and he was starting out into the sky in his lover's beautiful robe, waiting for him to return to him like he did every night, so they could be alone and together again...

The slamming door broke his lovely day dream and caused him to face her...

She was obviously mad, enraged into a great degree. She was in the middle of storming out of the room when she stopped. She saw him and stopped.

Percy started at Annabeth. Annabeth started back at Percy.

Percy remembers when he could have sworn he loved her. He could have been so happy with her. But then they entered into Tartarus, and nothing was ever the same again.

Now the love was gone. Romantically, Percy did not love her. As a friend or a sister? No, he didn't want that anymore. Not after everything she had said and done to him. And he was sure it was the same for her, because he did the exact same to her. They had no hope together, in anyway whatsoever.

She was still glaring but not so much. They both knew either of them were going to speak. Percy felt himself not glaring at her, which was weird to him. He just blankly started at her.

She was the first cut it off casting her head down harshly and walking away in a calmer manner. She traveled through another door and disappeared from his sight. He decided it was all for the best for her to walk away on her own, and he made his way back to his own room.

{...}

Dinner arrived the next day and Percy actually wanted to stay in his room. He didn't want to be around any of them. The next two days on this boat with them is enough for him, maybe even to much. He didn't want to face them, to possibly speak to them. He just couldn't do it. But he did. He was hoping they leave him alone and acted as if they just forgotten about him. But Jason didn't want to do that.

He came knocking onto Percy's door, that was locked shut, around six. He kept up the act for half an hour when Percy finally gave up and opened the door.

"What?" He asked harshly.

"Come on, dinner is ready and almost cold." Jason order.

Percy didn't fight him and just went along, following to the small room they held dinner in. The girls where already there and eating when they enter. They didn't greet them, not even lifting up there heads to see them. Percy knew this would happen. He expected judgment.

Percy chosen a cheeseburger and fries with a coke for his dinner. He was hungrier then he originally thought he was, but it still didn't waver his desire to be the hell of of this room and away from theses people.

He wondered how Nico would act in his position and if they would treat him the same way. He knew that Hazel would defiantly treat him nicely, since she seemed decent and somewhat okay with the discovery of there sexuality. Percy just expected her to actually speak to her brother if it was him at the table like he was now, and all she did was glanced up to him, like she was afraid to speak to him because of the awkwardness between them. He even except Jason to treat Nico the same if not more. He would drag him out of the room, and make him eat and even speak to others, like he was doing with Percy now. At least Jason cared.

Percy was confused on Reyna's part though. He knew she was fine with all, seeing that she was not glaring at him or anything. She even smiled at him, and looked as if she wanted to hold a conversation with him, but only casted down her eyes and focused back onto her food. He had seen the way she looks at Annabeth too, and isn't sure if he was actually correct on his view of the matter. Or if he saw the same look from Annabeth when she looked at her, which was apparently often, seeing that she had done it about fifty time since dinner started.

He didn't realized till then that Nico and him did the same looking game too.

Nico... He really missed him. He felt guilty about what he done, and yes, he was still slightly betrayed for what he done to him, but he couldn't stay mad at him for long, especially when he did do what he thought was best. That and Hades told him to do it, so that was hard to argue against that...

But, in the end, Nico promise that he will kept him safe and he will come back to him. That's all Percy needed to keep going, but it was hard. Percy was never good at being alone in an emotion setting, and this was really hard for him to get through. He just wanted his angel back.

"How are you Percy?" Percy snapped his head up to Reyna who was being started at by the others like she just grown a second head.

_I miss Nico. _

_I feel guilty. _

_I feel betrayed. _

_I feel like alone. _

_I feel like a freak. _

"I'm fine." He responded. He kept up his fake face again. He did want this to happen again. History couldn't repeat himself. He was too good for that.

No one spoke after that for a moment. This Hazel put down her fork.

"Can you tell us about Oltre Malavita?" She asked.

Percy realized then that they were all trying, even Annabeth who was listening as well. They were all friends once. Just because this happen doesn't mean that has to change.

Percy told them about Oltre Malavita, down to every small detail he could think of. He told them about it came about. How it was kept in the underworld first and how it came to the mortal world. How many kings and queens ruled and how some lost it in the end. He told them about how the people acted, what they believed and how they spoke in the most beautiful language. The group listened, some asking questions. He even asked about his white inked hand and what the decoration meant.

Percy felt himself get too ahead of himself as he practical vomited everything he knew about his beautiful home. He felt like the more he talk, the more they accepted him, like they were seeing that it was still him, still the same old Percy Jackson they all knew and hopefully loved. He didn't feel so alone after that, like he was just Percy, and no longer a new creator none of them knew and wanted to do anything with.

Dinner ended after he told them everything he could, leaving him slightly out of breath. He didn't show it through. He was happy, since dinner went well enough. Some even laughed at his corny jokes and made some sassy comments on the side. It felt like they were kids again; Percy felt at home again.

It was late after that, and everyone headed off to bed afterwards. Percy did the same. He took a long shower and laid down for bed. He couldn't help but notice how strange it was sleeping alone after all this time. He defiantly felt colder, but he pushed it out of his mind, trying to get some sleep tonight.

It was later on when he heard it over the squeaking of the bed. It woke him up slightly at first, but once he realized it came from the other side of the far off blue wall, he woke up completely and got up. He knew it was wrong, but he pressed his ear up to the wall anyway. He heard two voices at first, one male and one female. They muffed too much for him to make out anything before they spotted making any noise at all.

Percy was about to leave and not mind it at all anymore when he heard the universal noise of a flipped coin into a puddle of water. An IM was being made, and Percy knew this as he also heard the sound of the mist forming into the air. Percy listened more into it.

"Hey Chiron." The male voice greeted. "Sorry for calling you so late."

_That was Jason. _

"It alright." The other replied in a distance tone that Percy could barely make out. "I was up anyway."

_That was Chiron _

"Is everything ready?" The female asked.

_That was Annabeth. _

"Yes." Chiron replied. "I hope Percy is okay with this. I have some projects for him to keep his busy here."

Percy stopped there and moved away from the wall. He didn't want to hear anymore. He knew everything anyway. He should have seen this coming. They didn't want him around. They were faking it so they could just drop him off somewhere else and leave him there. So they wouldn't be stuck with dealing with him like they were before.

They would going to get ridge of him for good.

Fine. Percy didn't need them anyway. He hated them. He hated all of them.

He just hated himself more.

{...}

So here we are... Poor Percy.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Sorry for the late update. I meant to do it so I could have it on a week day instead of the weekend. So yeah.

Also, go check out my new one shot Yet. I'm thinking about adding more to it, because, you know, why not. But I'm not sure. Go read it and tell me if I need to. I would be grateful for the advice.

Thanks for reading, please review.


	24. Chapter 24

Annabeth couldn't breath. She felt the hairs on her neck and arms stand up. Her hearing became muffled and the overpowering sound of her beating heart made her death. _She couldn't believe this was happening..._

It started the night before when she was up with Jason. They had planned on making the IM late at night for some more protective privacy. Everyone knew about the call that held the special decision and the rest of the actions that followed it if it was accepted. She was even sure Percy knew, and no one had told him. She was sure of that, too.

They made the plans there; her, Jason, and a blurry image of a concern and hesitant Chiron. The man who had been a father figure to her all her life was looking at them like they were complex math equations he couldn't quite solved. She never asked for so much from him. She never thought she would, especially when it was something as simple as keeping Percy over the summer.

_If only it was so simple... _

Percy Jackson used to be her saving grace, but now, he was exact thing to destroy. Funny, how it's the same for him to her.

She had finally came to the terms that she was just at fault as he was, just like how she was a victim, just like he was.

They both went through Tartarus together; they both experienced the same horrors together. She would use logical thinking that maybe that would bring them closer and form a new addition onto the relationship to make it stronger. She came to the conclusion that maybe they would really last forever then, once they got out. Maybe from all the hell they shared, they finally find heaven together.

But that was just logical thinking, common sense in a light. It was just educated guessing.

She was wrong. Dead wrong.

She never saw this coming. It was never in the equation, not even a predicted possibility, but yet it happened. She got a different reaction and answer then she truly wanted, what she really needed. Percy had a worse reaction in the aftermath of the war them she expected. It was vigor and baking soda tenfold. It was nothing she never excepted before, and it was the worst thing to ever happen to any of them.

Percy Jackson was the hero of Olympus. He defeated so many goes without a single negative effect to come out of it that would damage him in any dramatic way. Or well, that he showed to them at least...

It frighten her a bit, looking back on it all now. Just knowing that he was secretly storing all that angry and sad conflict inside himself to finally blow away from the biggest blow he had ever taken...

She knew he fought back against it. He tried so hard to overpower the madness inside him, but it won the battle in the end, and not only corrupt him in the end but basically nearly destroyed him in the end. He fought it all till that damned night in there apartment when he came down to the very end of the line, to the very centered core. He couldn't fight it anymore then.

And it killed her inside to know that she did that to him. She was the one of them all to push him into the very edge of insanity and make him finally just fall out of it all. The one that ended Percy Jackson for good.

She will never forgive herself for it; for the fiendish crime she has done.

To everyone else, Percy Jackson was the golden hero with almost no flaws. He was smarter then most thought with the mind with swift idea planning. He was braver then any other demigod to ever grace the earth, even more so if it came to the people he cared about the most. He was strong and powerful like the gods, even with the chance to join then, offered by Zeus himself in front of the council, in front of his own father...

But he gave it all up for her...

She was, back then, the girl he was madly in love with. She was the smart Athenian girl with honey colored hair and gray eyes that he obsessive over for years. She was his friend for so long. His right hand warrior in every war and battle, always there to help and save him. She was the girl lucky enough to have him. To have, to hold, to love...

That all changed soon enough.

Now they were enemies almost. He was no longer the heroic savor with no faults and she was no longer his loving friend who cared. She didn't know what they were now, in all honesty.

She looked out to the water, watching the wave smoothly ride on, like the world wasn't so dark and terrible as it seemed to her. She felt her body shake viciously from her shiver again. She left her window open last night, just so she could breath the salty air again. It had always calmed her before, but now it only made her feel worse, like it was a constant reminder of what had been her life before hand. Like how sweet of a paradise it used to be, like the scent of the sea itself.

She rose from her bed and began to change. She was usually the first one up in the morning, since she was just that way. She would usually be the first to breakfast, followed by Jason and then Reyna and Hazel. Annabeth felt the familiar stirring feeling in her stomach as she always did whenever she thought of her name when she exited the room. She stepped quietly down the stairs and hoped she won't have to deal with the emotional turmoil too much today.

She ate alone the whole time she sat in the dinning hall. She mindlessly dipped her spoon into the bowl of mostly milk, thinking over her life and the crumples it keeps falling into. Soon it will only be a leftover mess that a beast titled Life left after preying on her emotional and mental and physical state. She never liked messes for a reason.

She sat there and stared mainly at the spoon in her hand, even raising it up to see her own face in the milky reflection. She would never understand the joy some people would receive by starting into the silver of the spoon and make funny faces in it. Whenever she looked into it, she found it to be a disappointment. A normal reflection in the mirror was clear and almost flawless in the action of showing what was needed to be seen. She could see all the errors and kinks in not only her sadden face but also in her darken eyes. It showed her exactly what the problem was and where it was, giving her the right amount of information that she needed to fix it. The spoon simple blurred vision that was stained and scared and damaged made it hard to completely achieve that, if any, and she found it frustrating. She needed to see herself, not what she what she wish she could see.

She titled her head as she continued to study the spoon. It was simple and bland, no detailing or anything at the bottom to be interested in. She was only left with the silver to observed, which always led back to her fuzzy reflection. She could only make out the blur lining of her yellow hair and tan skinned face. She couldn't see her eyes or her lips or her ears. She felt like a small stained mistake that could have been apart of the optionally beautiful sliver of the possibly exotic spoon. She realized then how sad it feels to feel like an unwanted mistake in a ruin of a plan that could have been something amazing.

She thought of Percy then. She dropped her spoon. She realized everything then.

She stood slowly, shaking slightly. She breathed in the air infested with salt from the ocean. She walked on the wooden boards carefully, rolling her foot and barely pressuring its force as she gently wondered on to the other side of the ship. She felt somewhat in a dazed, which meant she wasn't in control anymore. She knew from earlier on that this was not a good thing since it always caused her to act out Ina cruel way that only caused pain and hurt. But this time, it was her mind and her morality that handle her own physical and mental doing, instead of her unbalanced and defensive emotions and fears.

She approached the door, knowing very well what was mostly likely laying for her and what she was about to do. She swallowed down the last of her prideful ego and knocked.

He opened it seconds later. His hair was messy and there were black bags under his eyes that looked broken down and confused. They widen once they caught sight of her and then slightly narrowed. She expected that.

She noticed how his arms that were lazily slouched down were now bent, placing a strong and attacked ready hand on the hip, like he was reaching for Riptide. She expected that, too.

She opened her mouth. She felt the air in her lungs vanish yet reappear in the same second. She couldn't stop now.

"I'm sorry."

Percy looked at her like she was mad. She didn't expect that.

She explained her reasoning for it to him. She told him she was sorry for everything in hissed her life that involved him in to a negative reveal. She told him that though she could never fix any of it with magic or wisdom, she was indeed sorry for it all. She told him that she never wanted this to happen to them, but it did, and she couldn't fix that with anything. But she also stated that she was happy that it did happen, and now they both had a clean, fresh start on a new life that departed itself from the dreadful one that had.

She was expecting a raging argument, a final angry and chaotic fight, to end it all. She was prepared for a battle like she always was.

But it never came. That was something she wasn't expecting. It wasn't in her prediction. It was an impossible result of her equation. She was happy that it happened, too.

Percy did not speak during her final apology that was actually heart felt and meaningful this time. She always visioned her never being so in her head, stating the well thought of statement in her head to a very poor manner and through gritted teeth. She could never mustard up her pride and shove it down her own throat for anyone she ever done wrong to before. And she was defiantly too good for herself to ever let someone do it for her.

She hated herself for her selfish thoughts for the whole quest. With her pride, it did not only make it hard for her to ambit she was wrong, but also to forgive herself. This was one of the hardest things she has ever done in her life: Moving on from what she permanently knew.

When she was finished it, she felt as if she would collapse. She never been so feeble and raw, never been so unguarded and vulnerable, in her life with anyone on any subject. She never felt so _out there_ before. The idea of so had always made her scared out of her mind. She never desire to break out for her own good before, to just get her flaws and faults out in the open. She knew it was for the best for not only her, but for Percy as well.

She didn't cry or whimper during her speech either, which surprised her more. She actually kept her voice leveled and volumed enough to be hear over the rushing ocean, but it was ideally strong or weak. It was monotoned and dry. It held enough emotional effect to be real, but it was out of her comfort zone to the max, which she assumed was a good thing for her too.

Percy only spoke after she was done, both of them left standing outside his door. He leaned in the doorway as she stood out and slightly shivered in the cold wind. She was shaking more from the horrible fact that he was silent for a long moment, leaving her developing slowly into a bigger, more tragic, of a wreck then she was beforehand.

He finally spoke, just in time.

"Thank you."

That's all he said. Percy simply stated that. And he meant it. That was all she wanted.

{...}

They only had a little over an other day to spent on the ship at sailing before being back on land, back to their lovely home. She would have to leave the same night they arrive, back to New Rome. She had finals in less then a week for her major in Psychology and hadn't been in class for two weeks, almost three. She was in her room, trying not to think about the work so she could avoid another nervous breakdown over grades and exams. And she didn't have any coffee with her. She was practical doomed.

She thought it jokingly at the time, but she didn't realize it till later on that she was. She was even about to enter into the moment it happened.

She was on her bed, reading one of her favorite books she was able to bring along when it begun. She didn't expect it to come with a knock on the door.

"Come in." She called out, not bothering to ask who requested entree.

She glanced up to find the Latina beauty of the boat. She regretted her call out immediately. She sat up and tried to fix herself to look somewhat decent for her. It was late at night, explaining why Reyna was dressed in pjs with a white robe over her shoulders. Annabeth felt stupid even more for the fact that she was still in her cotton shorts and shirt.

"How are you?" Reyna asked lightly. Annabeth felt her nerves vibrate from the delightful tone but didn't show it.

Annabeth had decided that she did have feelings for Reyna in a very..._different_ way then she ever had for any other female she ever met. She did want to be with her in the same way she expected others wanted a boy and girl to like, with flowery romance and passionate love, but she wasn't sure it was fully possible. Reyna did show her own signs, yes, just like Annabeth herself probably has, but it still wasn't enough to plan on for not only her satisfaction but support and safety.

"I'm doing good." She said casually, trying to act as if she doesn't notice the nervous vibe she feels with Reyna twisting her silver ring. She noticed the habit from the beginning of there encounter, when she reunited with Percy in New Rome during the Giant War. She never took it as a positive gesture.

"Good." Reyna responded, not looking at her entirely.

"How are you?" Annabeth asked as she scooted aside on the bed, offering her a place to sit in the small room.

"I'm fine." She said. She declined the seat.

Moments passed between the two, which put Annabeth off guard. Usually, Reyna would come in with a demand or a plan or a suggestion. She never really came to chat, like they were two giggly girlfriends in high school. They would naturally turn into that as they when on to handle the problem, creating memories and inside jokes along the way for only them to know and laugh at. She didn't feel like that was going to happen again.

"What are you planning to do once you return to New Rome?" Reyna broke the glass like silence with her voice masked with a powerful tone.

Annabeth stopped everything. Her mind paused along with her heart and breath. She didn't see this coming. She hasn't been seeing a lot of things coming lately.

She knew where the straight forward path led, with Reyna leading forward with hesitant and careful steps. She felt her muscles shake and turn to jelly at the thought. Her energy became wild with not only anxious but desire at the suggestion. She did not fear what Reyna was offering, but she wanted it greedily.

_"I deserve a new beginning. We both do."_

Her own words repeated inside her own, but with Reyna standing in front of her instead of Percy, the true meaning became more lively then anything else she ever felt.

_"This is for the best. We both know this."_

"How about you come live with me for awhile?" The praetor asked. "I'll keep you okay till you're ready to be on your own. It will be fun. We'll just have a summer long slumber party. We both know it couldn't hurt you or me. Why not?"

The girl smiled at her own lame attempt but Annabeth felt herself beam with pure excitement. She never saw this coming and she was happy she didn't. She never liked surprises but she defiantly didn't might this one_._

Annabeth couldn't breath. She felt the hairs on her neck and arms stand up. Her hearing became muffled and the overpowering sound of her beating heart made her death. _This_ _couldn't believe was happening...__This confirms everything. My plan can go into action. _

Annabeth never felt so happy in a long while as she watch Reyna slightly stumble over the offer. It was clear to her then that this was meant to be and she was finally right about the things happening in her life again. She knew it was all what was suppose to happen now, and the fact that it didn't exact turn out like she expected before hand didn't fazed her for the slightest second.

"I love to stay with you, Rey." Annabeth finally stated her answer.

Reyna smiled herself then. "I knew you would."

{...}

I am so so so sorry for the extremely late update and the shorter then usual chapter. I've been so busy with band and school and life in general that I haven't had the time or energy to write.

And it was Annabeth's POV chapter that I suck at writing about because Annabeth is such a technical and deep thinkers and I'm just not program that way... Well at least this is the last one in her POV.

I am so sad to announce that we are nearing the end of this almost year old story that I have grown to love so so much. There is about three or four chapters left and most of them will probably be in Percy's POV which I am kinda excited about since he's always fun to write through. And I promise to give updates about Nico through the chapters. I know, I know, I'm scared for him too.

Thanks again for reading even after the long wait and please hang on with me because it might be like this again. But not as long as this has been!... Hopefully...

Thanks again for reading and please review and rant to me about all your fan girl/boy feels.


	25. Chapter 25

Jason Grace had never seen such a beautiful sight in his entire life. The grass was freshly cut and the sweet scent was mixed in with the salty smell of the ocean. The landscape itself was amazing to looked at with its scattered cabins and freely playing campers. The warm breeze that felt so pleasant on his skin and through his hair reminded him of the place he called home. But the best part of it all was the sight of Piper on the beach, smiling and waiting for him, standing along with Chiron and Grover.

Jason and his friends, after two long and endless weeks, were finally back home to Camp Half Blood.

The tall blonde stood at the very tip of the boat that sailed straight for the beach. He could feel Hazel behind him, off to his right, leaning over the railing, preparing to bolt off the cursed boat that she been sick on so many times. He looked back to see Reyna coming forth from the back with Annabeth near her. He down towards the floor to find their hands very near each other, basically twisting to fully touch in physical contact. He looked away before they realize he caught them in the act again. He been doing so the whole quest; avoiding the signs that been broadcasting the secret that everyone knew.

Jason looked over them to the open door. He could make out a tall, muscular frame in the darkness, which answered his question of Percy's present state: absent. Jason looked back forward, trying to forget the fact that was all he was anymore.

The pass four days, from the very moment Percy stepped a foot aboard, had been the worse part of the quest.

And it wasn't Percy fault for it. No, it was everyone else.

Jason had not gotten over the way the others have treated Percy on the ship. It was undoubtably noticeable of how they distanced themselves from him like a deathly plague. It was mainly obvious during the first dinner of the night, when it was only him, Reyna, and Annabeth and the raging argument of pure and utter hatred and loathing flamed out between them all. He felt himself still become bitter and annoyed with the memory of it, causing his muscles to tighten up with frustration towards them all.

It was clear to him then how the group felt about Percy, but it didn't become clear to Percy till the following night.

It was the second official dinner on the ship out of the three. Jason was determine to make it at least decent, which would have been a great improvement from the night before. He was first to arrive at the table and waited for all of them to gather inside before they could order their food magically. Jason waited till Annabeth, who was the last to arrive willingly, with her head low and her face hidden away from everyone, sat down and waited for the last missing member to come for about five minutes. Jason felt himself being annoyed then and decided to go get Percy himself. It wasn't a shocker to anyone that he had to do that for the boy, but what did shock them was when he turns back to them all before exiting, and told them to be at least somewhat human tonight for the sake of all of there sanities. Reyna nodded, Hazel simply looked away, and Annabeth wasn't looking at him anyway. He left without any of them vocally responding to him. He knew it wouldn't have came anyway.

He went off to Percy's cabin to have him greet him in a curtly manner. Jason was done with everyone by then, being in a very foul mood himself, and sasses him right back. Luckily, it wasn't a damage turnout of a fight, but it still wasn't the turnout he wanted. At least he came willingly. Jason wasn't so sure if he could have said the same for himself at that moment.

They came into the dinning room, and Jason knew right away that the three were speaking while he was gone. The whispers seemed to still echo there hush voices, even though he couldn't make out any of the words. He heard it, but he wasn't so sure that Percy did by the way he just sat down and scowled at everything and everyone before him. He didn't want to be around them, which Jason could not blame him for. He felt like he was in a damage judging room himself, with everything he had every done wrong being spilt out before him and everyone else. The mental judgment fasted into everyone's mind was on and was voicelessly vocal in the bleak silence.

In the first half of the awkward dinner that he just wanted away from, Jason began to lose hope for his friends. He was seriously starting to doubt if anything will ever be the same again as it was before. Did he believe it was stupid? Yeah. He did. He really did.

Usually Jason had an open mind, always throughly considering other people's concerns and problems with a certain matter. But this was just ludicrous. He just didn't understand what exactly the problem was with the other girls. He can somewhat vision a different reason for each one but it wasn't anything that came off as too concerning. For Hazel, he believed it was just the fact that she never truly image her brother being homosexual, especially with Percy, who everyone assumed was madly in love with Annabeth, to the point of seeing him with someone else was almost impossible to think of. The young girl was from a time period were homosexuality was basically a horrible crime in a social aspect, especially for one that was still mostly religiously dominated. Later on, in the 1940's, where Nico was actually born in, it was probably even worse... And the fact that he was in Italy...

Jason just figured it wouldn't be that shocking since, in modern day, the difference was becoming for a cultural regular then a bizarre sin.

For Reyna, he assumed it was just the shock of not only the pairing, but the power Percy had. He wasn't internally sure if Reyna fully knew or have truly seen the sovereignty that Percy really had. Jason will give her some grief; he was seriously shocked by the discovery too. He had never seen that level of true authority over an element before. It literally left him astonished and frighten in its dominated awake. He recalled how it felt on the ship, like everything was shattering around him and how air seemed to became less of thing, fading into nonexistent. He was just so stunned by it, and the fact that he completely ignored Annabeth's pleads of revivable and ending the chaos... That was the worst part. That, for the very first time ever, Percy didn't give in to his friends pleading like he has always done before...

He recalled looking over to Reyna beside him when the final wave reached its climax and began to fall out, into the cruel madness, fearing it upon the weak land and its people...

And then there was Annabeth... Jason, despite his resentment towards her at the moment, mostly understood her acts of isolation more then anyone else's. He got it. He knew how Annabeth was with her loved one, and how much it must have hurt. He also understood her little problem with her pride... He couldn't relate to her situation... He felt sorry for her more then anything though. He felt bad for the fight they had earlier. He felt bad for her for everything, overall. He was just sorry...

The movement of water gently pushing the boat, a motion he had became a custom to, finally stopped, causing him to stop and process the meaning before jumping off the edge railing and calmly flowing down to the bottom, letting his old shoes land on the soft and damp sand. He didn't care if the others didn't like it or not; he was sick of all of them anyway.

He ran up the shore to the gathering of three, but mainly aimed for the pretty female. They embraced soon after he reached her. He even lifted her from her ground, making her toes hover over the ground a few inches, and spanned around. He only did it to make her giggle her lovable laugh.

"I missed you too." She whispered in his ear.

"Oh," Jason huffed. "You have no idea."

They shared a look for a plan event for later. She had been waiting so long to hear about the trip, and he had everything in the world to tell (or rant) to her.

"Oh what a wonderful sight..." Grover said behind them, trying to withstand his laughter.

Jason could not recall the last time he saw the Lord of the Wild, declaring it an overdue visit. He first properly met him after the war while he was first at Camp Half Blood in his new position. He was entering into Camp in his purple robes when he caught a sight of him, walking with Percy. He had to ambit, he certainly didn't look like the stereotypical Lord of the Wild with leaves and berries and a birds nest in his hair or with a ten foot long beard. He looked like another teenager in simple old jeans and a t-shirt. Once Percy introduce him as his powerful status, Jason felt as if he needed to bow or something, even bending down on his right knee in a hesitant manner.

The two boys then started to shout at him, demanding for the Lord's proper respect. Jason, being the dense blockhead he is, took them seriously and did so. This later on lead to some pretty embarrassing stuff that he stupidly did under the jokingly false manner of the boys. Jason did hated himself for being stupid for doing it. And even more for somehow letting them get it on tape. Blackmail was a bitch.

"It's good to see you again, man." Jason shook the other's hand.

"Likewise." He nodded before looking back to the ship with a careful look in his eyes. "How is..."

"I honestly don't know." Jason stated quietly.

"Annabeth?" Piper asked next. The same look was in her forever changing eyes.

"Same." Jason said. "She's better, but still shaky. She'll be better now that she going back with Reyna."

Piper raised a brow at that, but Jason told her through their nonverbal communication that he will inform her of everything later. He had everything in the world to tell, and he hoped she could help him out with figuring out all the difficulties that came along with the forever long tale. The difficulties being the certain individuals who were making there way through the soft and damp sand.

Jason could seen to never get completely away from them like he wanted. He knew he was only slightly annoyed with them because he needed time to himself (and with a naked Piper later on) but the sight of them caused him to become even more irked. He was done with the emotional trouble that seem to pass through them all faster then the plague and all the damn drama that came with it as even deadlier side effects. He was done with the hurt feelings and the constant stubbornness from them that made him want to pull his hair out. He was just done with them all.

Annabeth was the first of the four to come up to the group, hugging her dear friend Grover first. She realized who it was far off the shore and literally dashed out like a lighting bolt to him. She hugged Chiron next, and then Piper. Jason saw her face as she did so and actually saw her smile truthfully for the first time in a long time. While, besides all the times she been around Reyna, but even then it wasn't much, and it was sometimes just an act for the sake of showing in a desperate attempt that she was mentally healthy. It was always a poor performance. Nothing compared to the very tricky Percy Jackson's.

It concerned him at first when he realized it a long ago. It didn't dawn on him till he fully saw it for the first time, and from that moment on, he was so frighten by the so called talent.

It was unbelievable to Jason the capability the average human has to lie so easily, even for a simple mortal. A demigod, especially for them many who have had a very harsh and abnormal lives, can be extremely good that the unfaithful deed, making it look undoubtably real and natural. But Percy Jackson was the King. All the others who do the deed were nearly amateur and mediocre player; Percy Jackson was the coach.

When the ordeal first began, when he was first informed of the dangerous he was supposedly entering into by a stressed Chiron, Jason could safely say he was concerned for both of his friends. He didn't realize it was that bad between them. He knew the relationship was dying slowly and even more painfully. He knew this very well before Chiron told him, mainly from his Praetor friends and his worrisome girlfriend. He knew it was bad, but it was even worse once Chiron told him so. This made him hesitant at the very first, but he knew that he was the one to reach out and try to help, maybe even fix, them. Maybe he could do something to improve the uneventful drawling between them and make it all happy again. So he agreed to help the old centaur in the action of helping the two.

That's when it was released like a caged, savage animal. It spread in a rapid fire that went wild to quickly for any of them to put out. It was deathly electric in its effect, making it uncontrollable by all means. It left them helpless in finding a solution, a release, from the trouble and chaos for not only them but also for those who were actually effected and killed.

Jason survived the madness, along with Annabeth who barely got out. But Percy... He didn't make it.

Instead of an original death original order, where absent from the life form is forever present among the living, Percy's life full of joy and silliness was replaced with the exact polar of what they once knew. And that's when it all got worse.

And the shittiest part, he didn't know when it exactly happen, Percy's death, that is. He wanted to say it was after the war, or even down in there. But he didn't anymore. He didn't have the slightly idea.

All he knew is that he was gone till they enter Oltre Malavita, where the real and true Percy was, lively and so bright... He was there when they entered into the place he called his lovely heaven...And that's also where he stayed after they left.

He was the last to come into the growing circle. He hugged Grover and greeted Chiron with a smile. He waved at Piper with a small smile. Piper waved back while she stayed under Jason's arm that was swung over her shoulders. He let his arm drop down to her waist, his hand landing on her waist, which brought her in close enough to rest her brown headed head on his shoulder. The scent of her perfume filled his nostrils, and her body heat was so damn tempting. Even more then they were that one night...

"Percy Jackson." Chiron laid his hands on the boy's shoulders like a proud father. His voice was booming and over powered the rushing sounds of the waves on the shores that were carried on by the harsh winds blowing behind them. "I am truly happy that you are back. We are in a shortage of counsellors here and I've been looking for someone like you to help out. Especially in the sword fighting classes, which I was hoping you be interested in. Along with canyoning, of course."

Percy smiled up to the man like a happy child. Jason found himself once again fiddling over the mystery of if the emotion was true or not. The smile seemed so, but that never classified it rightfully. If anything, it proven the exact opposite.

"I love to, Chiron." Percy smiled more with the old man. Grover slapped a hand over his shoulder in a positive gesture.

"Great to hear." Chiron said. Jason was trying not to stupidly believe the fake smile on the man's face. He knew he was just like the rest of the crew when it came to Percy. That, unlike the named demigod, was easier to read when it came to lying. "I'll make the schedule and rest of the plans for you. You know your way around, make yourself comfort before your first day tomorrow." Percy nodded in an obedient manner.

"Now, for those of you who will be leaving for New Rome tomorrow, follow me to the stables." Chiron turned around on his heavy horse hooves and went trumping along with Annabeth, Reyna, and Hazel behind him. Jason made the decision to stay for a few days before returning back home. He agreed to Chiron deal on help out and he knew very well that still applied, even if it was only to him.

Once the four girls and horse man were gone, the remaining four stood together. Grover looked to Percy with a neutral face. "How are you really, Perce?"

Percy looked about average, which was probably anything but that of what he was really feeling. Jason felt Piper stiffen a bit.

"In all honesty," Percy said. "I'm happy I'm here. It's been so long..."

Jason felt Piper relax as he stiffen. He had no way of making sure if that was true or not, but a small part of him knew it was. The way his eyes seemed human again and the lightness of his voice made it appeared so. It was a bit surprising to him, almost as much as what they saw in Oltre Malavita.

"That's good to hear, man." Grover smiled happily. "I plan on being here for most of the summer, so we can hang out like normal times!"

"That's awesome." Percy said in a seemingly real expression. Then he became confused, his eyebrows fusing together. "Wait... It's summer?"

"Yeah Percy." Piper answered. "It's just now May. So really summer is just about to begin since we basically out of school and everything."

Percy looked so shocked. Jason was so too, by his look of disbelief. "No way... How long was I gone?"

"Overall, about three weeks roughly." Piper answered with a worried tone.

Percy looked as if someone hit him between the eyes. Jason would have laughed if he wasn't confused along with him.

"Perce, are you alright?" Grover asked, his hand returning to the other male's shoulder. "You look kinda pale."

"That's impossible!" He stated in protest. "I was in Oltre Malavita for at 70 years! Nico has been there for almost 300!"

All three of them stopped. Percy's statement made then all just stop. Jason didn't realize that time was that quick in Oltre Malavita. Yeah, he predicted so but not that dramatically. It was kinda mind blowing, thinking that it was that different from the mortal world they lived in. Jason now began to worry about Percy adjustment back to his normal life.

Grover's face was utterly priceless. "Whoa! Hold on here!" He put his hands up. "You just said "70 years", "Nico", and "Impossible" in the same statement. And the last one pretty much explains it perfectly."

Percy didn't reply. He was lost in scrambled thoughts. He held a hand up to hold his head.

"Here man, let me take you to your cabin for a nap. You need it." Grover led him the way as his friend muttered a thanks.

That soon only left Piper and him, standing in the sand, hip to hip in the wide open space.

Her perfume fully took over his lungs by then and her long and flawless braid was most his vision.

She pulled away to face him. He could fully see her face then. It was perfect.

"Can I hear the great tale now, my hero?" She teased him lightly.

He laughed as he took her hand. "Come on, my cabin."

She followed with that look in her beautiful eyes. He felt her body heat against his skin again. He held in his groan.

"I get the story first before you get anything from me." She ordered him as she bit her lip.

"Sure, princess." Jason smirked.

"Thank you, Daddy." She winked at him.

{...}

The following day of there arrival was when the three girl departed Camp Half Blood. They left after lunch in the late afternoon, taking two flying horses with them.

Jason finished his meal before heading out to say his goodbyes. He was still sour towards them, but he did want to see them before they went off. He knew very well they probably won't come back that much in the end.

He found all three of them at the stables. They were ready, as it seemed. Annabeth sat next to the three backpacks on the ground as she read he huge book. He couldn't even see her face. He only knew it was her from the blonde ponytail flapping out in the wind. Reyna stood next to the horses, petting them lovingly. Hazel was the first to notice him as she sat on top of one of them, looking as if she was ready to ride off into the air and back home to Frank.

"Hello there." She greeted him with a lazy smile.

"Hi." He smiled back. "Hows the weather up there?"

"There a bit of feather in your hair." She stated bluntly.

Jason ran a hand through his blonde locks. "Really?"

"Yeah." Reyna spoke up with a very slick smirk. "In your just-fucked hair."

Jason groaned to himself for being stupid and not checking himself in the mirror before leaving for lunch. He left Piper in his cabin to sleep and rest for later on.

Annabeth happened to look up then and snarled in disgust at the sight of him. "Jesus Christ, please stop fucking my friend. It's so nasty."

You first, honey. Jason kept that thought to himself.

"Good to know that you all know all about my sex life now." Jason said.

"The whole camp knows about your sex life..." Reyna snickered. "Daddy."

Hazel and Reyna howled in uncontrollable laughter as Annabeth made vomiting noises in the background. Jason just wanted to die. Getting hit repeatedly with a brick was better then that moment.

"Gods, I hope her father never heard about that." Annabeth suggested. Jason saw his death before his eyes.

"Or Thalia, at that." Reyna commented. Correction: Now he saw his own death. His merciless death.

"Oh dear Gods, please don't tell her!" Jason begged. "She'll kill me!"

Reyna gave him an incredible look. "Jason, she would kill me if I told her! And I'm just the messenger!"

"I can confirm that." Annabeth supported her.

Jason only smiled at the two. It was cute, in all honesty. He supported it. He just didn't want to at the moment since he still didn't like them. Especially after the "Daddy" comment.

"We better start heading off, guys. It's time." Hazel got her horse ready. Reyna and Annabeth follow suit. They were sharing a horse with Reyna in the front and Annabeth holding onto her in the back.

"See you guys later." Jason waved at them.

"See ya Jason!" Annabeth called back, smiling. It was a real smile, and Jason was happy for it. "We'll be back! Promise!"

Then they took off without a second glance.

{...}

Two days have passed, and Jason was to leaving the next morning to return to New Rome. He knew he would return to Camp Half Blood soon, but he wanted to make sure his business was done before he left. So after dinner, he went off to talk to Percy one last time.

He had talked to Percy throughout his time there. He mainly got small talk out of him, but he was talking and seeming like he was getting better from what Jason could tell. Not that there was much to gather for the conclusion.

He wasn't like what he was before the quest, with a hard look of happiness, like a painting dried with too much paint on the canvas. He wasn't trying to avoid everyone and everything like an antisocial cast out. He was more normal now, like a natural acting human.

Jason still wasn't sure if he felt good about that though. He acted as if he was just going through the motions of the day like he was made of no life. He didn't laugh not cry not get angry. He did want he was suppose to: he did his teaching classes and interacted with the kids in a slightly way, he ate his lunch and dinner, and he followed all the rules and wasn't in a unpredictable state anymore. It was a positive upgrade from his former state of mind, but also a negative.

He wasn't really doing much of anything. He was a lifeless person just wondering on through the countless days. It really worried Jason.

"Hey Percy!" He called him out once he exited the Dinning Hall. It was getting late, with the sun going down and the sky getting darker. Jason wanted to get to bed as fast as possible before getting up early tomorrow but he was willing to stay up for Percy if he needed him. He doubted it though. Percy still, somewhat, seemed like he didn't want to deal with others, but at least he wasn't acting out violently towards it.

The other demigod turned around and waited for him. They soon joined together and began to walk towards their cabins. Jason could feel the awkwardness to the point where it was almost apart of him, as if it was a piece of his clothing he was wearing at the time whenever he was around the sea spawn. Percy wasn't going to start the conversation, Jason knew. They been in this position before, and Jason finds it so odd and cold compared to the old Percy they all once loved and knew. He was so happy and goofy, always wanting to tell a joke or so to anyone ready to listen. And now...

"How's your day been Percy?" Jason asked first, like always. He already knew the answer.

"It's been good. Your's?"

"Pretty good." Jason asked. "How were your classes?" He knew this answer too.

"There good. The kids are doing pretty well."

"That's good." Jason said. They continued to walk without speaking as they slowly approach Percy's cabin.

Jason took a deep breath before offering his last chance to the boy. "So... Wanna talk about anything?"

Percy was just about to open the door to his cabin, leaving Jason standing on the steps of his porch, waiting patiently for any kind of answer. He knew Percy stopped for a reason and knew very well what it was most likely about. He had been waiting for this all day and was ready for it. He was ready to finally be Percy's friend again. To prove to him, that he wasn't like what the others thought he was. Not to him, at least.

Percy turned halfway to Jason with his face hidden under a shadow his hair created. He didn't want Jason to see him weak again, which he understood. The son of Jupiter felt for the guy. It harmed his own pride with he was weak in front of people to much, especially for his own liking.

"I-I've been having dreams at night." Percy finally admitted in a small yet firm voice.

Jason waited for more in a small, quiet moment before speaking. "About?"

Percy turned to him more, showing his face that was truly crestfallen. Jason knew his conclusion then, that maybe he wasn't getting better. Maybe he was still really sadden about the whole ordeal.

"Nico..." Percy answer. "I get glimpse of what's happening in Oltre Malavita."

Jason felt himself stiffen. He didn't realize that that was what he was dreaming of. He didn't know that was possible without an empathy link. Especially in the land beyond the Gods.

"Is he okay?" Jason asked cautiously.

"He still healing, but his starting to walk again." Percy smiled of the thought, like he was so happy by the achievement in his love's health. "He can't do it for long, but he's trying so hard and improving so well."

Jason returned the wide smile. "That's great."

"Yeah." Percy nodded. "I mean, I have no idea how the hell its happening. He can't see or hear me while I'm there but I can see and hear him and everyone else around him, as if I'm actually there again-"

Jason watched helplessly as his friend's grin faded away just as quickly as it came.

"It's better then nothing." Jason stated in the tense quietness that fell among the two demigods. He didn't want to leave it like that, as if it was a let down instead of an actual improvement for the demigod hero that was desperate for correction and acceptance.

"I don't get them every night, but most nights I do." Percy mentioned. "I like it..."

Jason now knew this was the true Percy. It wasn't the false one he got on the boat dock when he first arrived on, his first day away from Oltre Malavita. It wasn't the insane one as before, the same one with unpredictable mood swings that can be violent.

It was really Percy. The really _sad_ Percy.

"I think..." Percy began. Jason waited for more, but the dark hair boy only shook his head in disagreement and hesitation. "Nevermind."

"No what?" Jason required softly. "I don't care to hear-"

"I don't want to talk about it till I'm sure." Percy stated.

Jason nodded in understandment. He got want the hero was saying. About what he didn't know, but he knew not to push it.

"I think I have an idea of Nico's final stage in Hades's plan, but I don't want to say it till I'm sure." The sea spawn explained.

"I understand." Jason nodded. "It's cool."

Percy nodded along. "Thanks."

"No problem, Bro." Jason said. "If you ever need anything, just come to my cabin, okay?"

"Okay." Percy responded. "Thanks again. Goodnight, and have fun in New Rome."

"Thanks, I will." Jason smiled back to him as he watch the hero entered back into his cabin. He wondered what happen behind that door that he, or anyone, never sees. He moved on to his own cabin. He had a night left in Camp Half Blood and he needed it to think over his newly found conclusion over the bettering yet worsening son of Poseidon.

{...}

Thanks for reading! Please Review!

Im sorry for the long update, but hopefully I can get this story ended before too long. I've been so busy, but it's about to slow down, so maybe that will improve things.

Thanks for reading again! You are all great and I love you all! Please Review! Thanks again !


	26. Chapter 26

The pass two months could mostly and acceptably be successfully described as not only a hellish treatment but also as a well needed relaxation that he didn't even know existed. Percy could just safely say that Camp wasn't as bad as he thought: it was better, yet worse.

It was better because the camp felt like home again. Percy wasn't sure how it happened, but when he finally came back to the place, only viewing it by the sight that was provided on deck of the boat, he couldn't help but feel nothing but utter joy fill inside, which was the first time he recalled being very happy since he left his King behind in heaven. It was truly odd, considering the fact that the last time he was there he thought of it as a replica of hell.

It's seemed to never change in the first place, like the Giant War never happen and it was still a free, joyful salivation for every lost demigod out there in the world. Sure, a good amount of his friends were gone, leaving only Piper and Jason, but that was somewhat okay with him. He felt as if he wasn't being judge as much as he would be if all the people who actually knew him like before. Now, he was consider a sight to see, which was another thing that hasn't change.

All the younger kids around him knew about his heroic tales, about his rare parenthood, and they were in awed about it. It was like their favorite hero from the greatest myth just came back to life and was living within the same area as them. It caused to the boys to follow him and ask him all the questions about his adventures. It caused the little girls to gawk at him from afar and giggle and blush when he looked there way. He has heard them mumble some creative nicknames that made for him as he walked by or when he happen to have his back turned.

It was so funny how much it reminded him of Oltre Malavita that it wasn't funny anymore. What was funny was how that used to be his life here at Camp as well.

Now, with the pretty sight becoming what it once was to him, he couldn't remember why he thought of it that way before. Yes, it was just a nasty and constant reminder of the war and the deaths that took place for it, but now that he didn't see the tragedy as his fault, he found it beautiful again. He no never saw it as a mocking symbol of what he fail to do and how it affected so many lives around them, even causing some to end. He understood now that it wasn't him fault; it was apart of life that he couldn't avoid. Death is apart of life in many more ways then he ever thought about. Especially for him.

He used to only get so a angry and guilty feeling whenever he thought deeply into the land he was in, resulting in only him getting in a fowler mood then he already naturally was. He used to have sudden flashbacks of the war at random points of his life. It was bizarre how it came and terrible when received. He would just be living his life outside, which was very rare for him back then, and out of nowhere he would see a demigod being sucked violently into the shaking and rumbling ground. He would found himself reaching down to help the struggling victim that was desperately crawling the earth for life worthy release.

It was when he would blink when the vision finally disappear. He would find himself on the ground with dirt covering his hand and tears forming in his eyes. The adrenaline still throbbing inside was the thing that helped him off the ground and dash off to his cabin. He stopped going out then, another milestone to his grievous collapse.

Percy had not had any of those episodes in years, even after moving to New Rome, but the fact that he was still scared of losing himself again in that place was enough to motivate himself to prevent it. He did so by keeping himself incredibly busy with anything and everything he could find. He couldn't lose his mind if it was never on the subject that he was so dreadfully fearful of.

That's how it was worse: the never-leaving fear of what he might become. He felt as if his relaxation in the Camp would be the slowly tipping point of his next down fall. He was in constant fear of it, never letting his rough and strict guard after his own self down. He had became his own concussion monitor over his mental and emotion and physical doings. He watched out for everything around both in and outside. He kept himself aware of his actions and thoughts that could possibly seem suspicious. He was trying himself, almost touring himself, over the action of never becoming what he had become again. Overall, he was becoming paranoid again. He hated himself for it.

Once he realized this happening to him, he tried his best to stop, or at least find a way to make it stop without his consist. He did, and that was by the action of not thinking about it by distracting himself from his cursed habit. Basically, keeping his mind busy with another matter that did not involved it in no way possible.

It was effective and it worked very well, but it often led his wondrous mind to another topic at hand that caused him to be in a worse state. When it first happen, he knew it was bad, more toxic to the mind and his health then what he was trying to get away from, but it was the most tempting allurement that he has ever encounter. It was strong and basically irresistible to ever deny for the sake of his own happiness. It was possibly, almost most definitely the ticking think to cause him to go crazy again. It was his newfound madness.

It was basically his angel in a theoretical system.

That was the reasonings behind his present state of being on the dock nearby his cabin, with a hammer in his hand and the sound of nails being hit, forming into a constant, background beat. The ticking sound of both his deliverance and his perdition.

Percy Jackson had began the boat project a week ago, when he found himself bored in the afternoon where he had no classes and dinner wasn't ready yet. He found out soon enough that he, who had never built a boat in his whole life, already knew the process that he had to take to successful built a very proper sailing boat. He doesn't recall how the action of doing the task came to his mind; he simply just wanted to built a small boat one day, having the grand view of the final finish in his head already. Before he could recognize his actions for the project, he found himself already at the workshop to get the supplies he needs.

It was an enjoyment to him; he found it very relaxing. He was never really a person who enjoyed manual labor before, but he mainly like it because it allowed him to escape the environment he was in and let him travel off into his blissful escape. It was easier to pretend that he was back in Oltre Malavita, acting as if he department never happened and he was still there. He could act as if there was no Tyrants' fighting or violence. He could act as if there was no world away from the blissful one he was in. He could act as if he was still with his angel...

Percy finished putting on the first slap of the sidings for the hall. He first assumed it to be a difficult task, considering the fact that he had to slight bend the wood in a curved loop without it breaking and then nailing it down firmly enough to keep down in that shape and not spring back up and smack him in the face. It was his greatest fear at the moment.

He held up the board of about seven and a half feet of wood and prayed for the best. He carefully moved, taking small steps as the wood bent to his gentle command.

It was then when the narrow and harsh focus pressed into his back, as if they were studying his shoulder blades and spine muscles move. He felt it's settle glances first but the intensity increased dramatically, to unavoidable measures. He could recognize the eyes without even looking. He knew from undoubtable faith and genuine knowledge who owned those eyes; those dark and beautiful eyes with an owner all the same...

Percy felt himself stop his walking and bite down on his lip before bouncing like a child and turning around to the suppose owner behind him. When he found nothing, he figured he caught himself again. His great delight soon vanished and he harden himself swiftly, in an attempt to save himself, before settling down into a nonmoving, neutral state again.

Percy, instead of losing his mind to his memories of what happen to him in hell like he did before, was now blissfully falling into a new light that was full of nothing of what he desired more then anything else in all the worlds.

The hero still found himself lingering for Oltre Malavita. He would just simply slip into the state of mind, without any kind of sign relating to anything of concern, and would act in a natural way if he really was in that environment. It was like he was drifting off into a sleepy dreamland wide awake. It stunned him in the end, when he comes back to the mortal world, but it felt so prodigious and amazing when he was their. He could feel the wonderful present of Oltre Malavita like he was really in it, smelling the fresh, flowery, and salty air and chilling from the small, chilly breeze that always blew through. He could sense the aura of the other spirits around him, as if they were simply walking beside him in a mass activity in a large space. He could hear the distant sounding of the background noise of the old fashion dialect and the thick variety of accents that were both expressed in the native language and in English.

All the specific detailing of the dazzling home could easily trick him and his eyes, making him ignore his strong sense of his surroundings and fall for the desperate need of believing that he was there again. Like a fool falling for a scan; like a clueless girl falling for a careless boy. He fall for it. He fell for it every time.

It happened more then he ever wanted to admit, even to himself. He hated the idea of him being so idiotic and weak to do such a stupid thing. He knew he was better then this. That he could grow over this. But his strength and his fear and his need was the feeding of the terribly hurtful moments, along with being the error that held him back from fixing it.

He knew he should stop it, make it halt before it destroyed him completely, but he felt as if he might as well forget everything he held-emotionally and mentally and physically-for his true home, for his time there, and for his angel.

The son of the sea god turned back to his work, pushing the board back as much as he could and nailing it down quickly. He stood in front of it for a while, making sure it will stay there without restriction, before continuing on with the same process for the next two boards out of the series of sixteen. He was just about done with the boat, only leaving the hull left in need to be done before the project was completely finished. He thought over the matter of painting it, maybe a nice dark blue color with white trip on the inside of the sail. He sat and ponder over it for a long moment before he felt the ghost like feeling of a slick, strong arm being glided over his shoulders.

He pounced away from the sensation, after feeling himself falling into the suppose body that was attached to the ghost arm. He could have sworn someone was there, but he caught himself in enough time to see that it happened again. He fell for it shamefully again.

The dark haired boy just harden himself to his neutral state again before going on with his project. He noticed the sun starting to set and decided that he wanted to finish it before it fell completely into the night.

Within the time, he was able to do so. His hands were rough and aching, but he finished it. He stood there for a moment and admire his work, feeling proud of himself before he notice how dark the sky become. Another July day had passed, some of the last he would have in a while. He recalled that that meant his birthday was coming up soon. He pushed the idea aside before taking all his tools and walking inside his cabin.

Percy still liked his cabin, out of all the mess, mainly because it reminded him of the trips he had with his mother to their favorite beach. It looked and smelled the same as a cabin their they would stay in there, and it made him comfortable. What he didn't like is being alone in it, with the empty beds and cold, lifeless space within it. Normally, Percy was okay with being alone, it came with the parentage, but it was what happen when he was alone that he despised.

Percy thought about his life when he was alone in the cabin. It frighten him so much.

The dark haired boy wondered through the door and sat the tools down by the door. He took a look around and finds everything in place. The beds that he didn't sleep in were made and clean, along with the areas around them. His corner of the room was a different story, but that's because it was simply his corner. He, along with all the people in the world, deserved at least one place in his life to be messy in. It was a God-Given right.

Percy found that to be the least scary thing about his room. The most fearful part was all the discoveries he had came to terms with in that room. He thought that if he lost his mind again, it would occur in this room.

The boy was wondering about one night when he was recalling everything that occurred in the Titan War, narrowing down specially on his encounters with Nico. It was then, he decided, that that was the beginning to all the madness.

Percy had always felt something for Nico, but not in the romantic sense. When he first met the happy and lively child of 10 years, he thought he was just a cute kid who was also slightly annoying. That's all he thought of him, since his mind was wrapped around on the disappearance of his love interest, Annabeth.

He was only 13 then, and like most 13 years olds, he was even considering other sexualities other than heterosexual. He found himself too busy preparing for the world centered prophecy he was supposedly suppose to forefill.

It wasn't till later on, after the death of Nico's sister Bianca, when he promised him that he would protect her and ended up failing him, that he realize then how much the boy meant to him. Yes, it wasn't like what Annabeth meant to him at the time, but Percy had more empathy for the boy then anyone else in the world. He knew how it was to be alone, after losing the last person you had left, after entering into a new world with so many things after you...

He knew that that was why he lied to Chiron about Nico, and then continue into his hunt for him alone, trying to find the kid that could have died without him knowing about it. The idea scared him so much at the time. It still does, in all honesty.

When Percy and his friends had to go through the Labyrinth, and happen to find him there with the ghost of Minos with him... Percy felt so guilt, along with his total shock.

Nico used to be so joyful. He was a child who couldn't stop smiling over the simplest insight of Mythomagic. He was so happy and to find him pale and mean and bitter...

Percy felt like he failed the boy, but not only his sister's death, but also by not dying when he release the skeleton solider on him.

That and it turned out that Nico knew very well who his father was, which was another secret that Percy kept to himself for his sake. He didn't want anyone to know that there was a son of Hades out there that he was trying to find. He knew what it would seem like to all of them if he told, and he knew that they would just never understand.

That when he supposed that it escalated into more then just a feeling of responsibility. Just a simple emotion of brotherhood. He just didn't realize it due to the fact that he was in love with Annabeth. His love for her at the time was more passionate and powerful then the small crush he had for Nico at the time. A crush so small it could have been so easily ignored, to the point he never realized he had it in the first place.

It was later on eliminated when he found himself tricked and sitting alone in Hades's dungeon. He hated the son of Hades then, foolishly blaming him for it. He didn't know back then...

Well... Percy first figured that it was gone, till it formed later on in time, but now recalling and rethinking about it...

Maybe it was still there. Maybe it was always there, just waiting for its revolution. Maybe it was the reason for not only his constant concern and his secretive ways, but his always knowledge of everything the boy did, even with his happy and broken relationship with Annabeth, if he was even there or not.

Maybe that was why he called for Nico at the fountain... Maybe the crush finally took over then and it turned to be something more when it all come into Oltre Malavita...

Now it settled itself here: Percy starting down at his bed with wet hair and wrinkled pjs. He was hesitant to the action of falling asleep every night. It was like he fatally ill, and suddenly now had the medicine to save his life. He didn't know if he should take it or not due to the different reactions that may happen.

Every night, when Percy was asleep, he had a dream that linked back to Oltre Malavita. Yes, people normally dreamed of a beautiful place called either heaven or home, but Percy was seeing what was happening there. It was normal among demigods to have these kind of dreams, but it always freaked Percy out. Just seeing and hearing everything as if he was really there yet not... It gave him the creeps.

But he still took it as a good thing since he knew what was going on. He has seen phases of Nico healing back to his normal self. He was walking and talking and breathing just fine now, and was even out and helping with everything that needed help in the village.

Percy knew it because he was there. He was there every night when the nurses and doctors made him take his ambrosia, which caused him to heal quicker then anything else.

Percy saw him help build up the ruin homes of his citizens that were staying inside the castle for shelter, which was almost half of community.

Percy saw him standing happily on his balcony as he glazed down to his fully rebuilt kingdom. It was about a month ago when Percy saw that, so who knew how long it took, or how long it's been that way.

Each dream was a pleasant sight, making his heart full and heavy, in a good way. Yet, he was so scared of what he would see one day, if all of that was to change dramatically.

He knew it was stupid to consider rather he wanted to see his lover's doings or not, but it always have him fear to know what was really happening. It was so scared of seeing something that he really didn't want to see, like Nico with other, or another attack on his city. He didn't think he would stand knowing the knowledge and not being able to do something about it. He was scared of losing it like he did when the last battle took over. He never wanted to see Nico like that again.

Then there was his excitement and need for it. He wanted to know if everything was alright and developing from the ruins like it should. He felt bad for what he did, but he knew Nico didn't blame him for it, and the citizens didn't because it won the war once and for all. Yes, there was still some guilt at the bottom of his soul, but he was starting to forgive himself for it, like how Nico taught him to. Their was no life to live for him if he couldn't forget and forgive himself for all his sins.

With that, Percy climbed into his bed, tucking the covers over and underneath his body, and breathed slowly for a good sleep.

He soon found himself walking down a dark hall. He would normally find this odd, and somewhat of a warning of what was to come, but it was the hall of a very familiar place that, for a second, he thought he was truly in again. He knew he wasn't once he saw a ground of people in the throne room. He was put off guard by the sight and was about to ask for its reasoning for taking place till he realize the truth. He had tried many times before to come to no result of satisfactory. He has very screamed cusses in both English and Malavitian, yet none of them ever heard him.

He walked farther into the room to find that all of the soul present were the savants of the castle. They stood in a rectangle shape that took up most of the room. Percy walked down to stand between two of the men. They didn't seem to sense him, so he walked onto the narrow space in the middle. He turned about to look at that them all. They all held bored and blank expressions, which Percy found completely strange. He knew these people; they were his friends. He knew them to be some of the most loving and living souls, and yet, here they were, blunt and even worried.

"What's going on here?" Percy asked aloud. "What's happening here?"

He got what he always received wherever he asked something to them. The silence was so loud it buzzed inside his ear.

"Christ." He whispered out, taking advance of his invisible presence among them. He found it somewhat annoying, yet helpful, when needed.

He suddenly heard the sound of thumping feet coming. The demigod turn his head to the entree way behind the golden throne of bones, along with the rest of the souls that surrounded him. It was two strong and deep voices that he assumed were male. One was more high pitch then the other, like a squeaky wheel that was in need of oil. The other was mainly generated off his obvious annoyance that was aimed towards the other who was nagging at him. The two figures soon came into the light, circling around the throne, and Percy should have guessed it was them.

Bradshaw was ahead of Dion, like he was trying to escape the other within a walking paste. Dion, which was still an annoying twit as he always was, was flapping his arms behind Bradshaw like a chicken trying to fly. Percy pondered over the idea of kicking him while he had the perfect opportunity to do so. He still greatly dislike the douche bag after the meeting where he label Percy was a "unacceptable queen candidate." The son of Poseidon stuck his tongue out behind the Royal Court.

"I don't see why we must do this every time." Dion stated in a harsh tone. "We must prepare him to take the whole village, yet you insist on taking this small group first-"

"It's call a warm up, Dion." Bradshaw snarled at the man behind him. Percy thought it sounded as if Bradshaw would beat him to that kick. "We can't just throw the people to him without slowly working him up to it. He needs to strength before the workout."

"We are behind schedule! Bradshaw, the beloved God of the Underworld is probably seriously displeased with us for taking so long to finish the plan! If he wants it soon like the king has stated then-"

"Are you doubting the King's word?" Bradshaw growled at him. He hand haunted over his sword handle and Percy was preparing himself to grab Riptide if needed.

"No." Dion growled back. "I just saying that it's been years since the end of Construction and we must end out time here before another enemy finds us and we repeat history!"

Bradshaw didn't reply right away. He deadly glared at the Court before moving his hand away from his handle. "We can not go blindly into this. We need to prepare him or we are all doomed. It will leave us to be nothing but history."

Percy glanced around the room to find all the servants slightly worried by the argument that the two men held bluntly in front of them. They have never heard this before, but Percy has. He heard all about how it was referring back to the plan that Nico received from his father after the war. The one he got in person through another dream, like the same one he got before when he was ordered to get Percy out of Oltre Malavita. Percy still felt his muscles tense up in total hatred at the memory of his department, over his blame that he held for the father of his lover. God, he hated it all.

Anyway, Percy first predicted the plan within the first week of receiving the visions in his dreams. There were constant large drops of hints that linked together strongly but vaguely showed a picture. He had to think of it by himself, and then he got it.

From what he has gathered, Hades told Nico that he had to perform some kind of magical trick with the darkness and shadows of the land. In this trick, Nico would set everything right again, to where the the possibility of another set of the doors appearing would be officially impossible. He had to somehow transport the land of the undead back to its original location.

Percy was shocked to find this out, beginning with the sight of Nico coming back from his dream visit. Bradshaw and Dion were in the room at the time, and took action as the King woke up screaming from pain. Percy was useless in the effect, standing to the side in total fear till the problem was fixed. Nico finally woke up, and before Percy could hear the tale, he woke up.

Then, through the next series of events that he has seen, he put the pieces together and found it out. His actual option and emotion towards the matter was still a mystery though.

"We will finish this later." Bradshaw cut Dion off before he could snap back at him. They walked over to the end where they took there place in the formation. "No need to make a seen in front of the staff."

"Why not? Just makes the daily gossip juicier." A new yet unmistakable voice called back to them.

Percy felt his insides flutter as he turned to what was behind him. Oh yes, he knew that voice very well, in all kinds of tones and volumes.

He first found the backside of the heavenly creator, as he used his long legs to step upon the steps of the throne. The figure then turned around to face not only unseen Percy but the rest of the present party. Percy held himself together as he saw that tall, lean figure covered in black silk. He lost his breath when he closely studied the dark olive colored skin and the high cheek bones. He mainly focused on the eyes those. That's how he confirmed if it was really a vision from Oltre Malavita or not: If Nico's eyes were still truly blue instead of illustrating black.

He was still so powerful and royal like. It made him feel at home the most, the near fact of his close existence to him. The fact that he was actually real, that his dream like life was actually not that: a dream.

Nico raised his head high and scanned his eyes over every soul in the room. Percy felt him take steps towards him, like a desperate attempt for his lover to see him that he already knew was worthless. He felt himself internally whimper at the fail when Nico never looked at him.

"Are we ready?" He asked the group in whole. No one answered.

"Alright then." Nico then raised his hands then. "Join hands."

Percy walked out of the center of the rectangle as the souls around him followed the king's command. He wasn't sure what was happening, and wanted to know without being involved in it. He laid his back to the wall and watched the action carefully.

Nico raised his arms highs, like he was a preacher in church. It was a couple still seconds before Percy felt the slow buzzing of the ground and walls. He jumped away from the wall in a sprint due to the wild movement that pushed him off. He turned back to find the darkness of the room form into waves of shadows. They twisted violently and wildly before zooming above him to the group. There, the shadows span around and swallowed the group whole, forming a large dome shaped figure that took up most of the room, even causing Percy to stumble back in surprise. Then, when Percy thought it was about to take over, it rapidly shrunk back down to a smaller and smaller size, before it disappeared into nothing.

Percy, only then, with his back against the wall, alone in a bare room, realize what he saw.

"Shadow traveling..." He gasped at his discovery.

Percy had never seen the stunt done from an outsider's point of view. He had always seen it done by Nico, who just simply walked into a shadow, or was involved in it, which he always closed his eyes in due to fear.

Percy was amazed by it, seeing how it can truly be the trick Nico had to pull off. Could it be done? Percy wasn't sure, but he had faith in Nico and his ability to pull it off.

Percy wondered though... What exactly was Nico transporting? The answer somewhat worried him. He recalled how they escaped the Doors of Death (the first one) by having both Nico and Hazel transport the other six demigods back to the mortal world. He knew that Nico didn't show it and won't for his life, but it left the boy drained of his energy.

The hero also recalled how he was standing next to him at the time, holding his hand through the dark travel. Once Nico realize it, he pulled his hand away quickly, like Percy had burned him or something. He never thought of the motion again till that moment in the faded, stony, and grey room.

"So far..." He felt his lips move along with the whisper.

He was beginning to feel slightly worry about the group when the ground shook to life again. He stood himself steady as the black solid dome came back up from the darkness that clouded the floor. The dome grew larger and larger before finally exploding back into waves of darkness that rushed back to the walls it once came.

Percy watched the astonishing event before turning back to find the group standing where they once stood, like nothing in the pass moment never happen.

He noticed how Nico was sitting on the steps, holding his head with both of his hands.

Bradshaw was the first to move out, Dion following behind. Bradshaw dismiss the servants to work as they made there way to the king. Percy beat them to it as he jogged over to Nico's side. He reached out to grab his hand by soon caught himself in the act.

"What happen back there, my lord?" Bradshaw questioned him. The two men stood in front of them like adults to children.

"I don't know." Nico signed. "I got distracted by another shadow or something."

"That's the third time, sir." Dion added in. Percy glared at the asshole darkly, even if it went unnoticed. He scooted closer to Nico.

"I'm trying." Nico stated with a defeated tone.

Dion was about to say something back before Bradshaw glare at him from the side of his cold eyes. Percy had never been more thankful.

"You have done triple the amount of people we just did." Bradshaw confirmed. Percy calculated that to be about fifty people. "You just need more practice."

"He has to carry this whole kingdom back to the underworld in one phase." Dion snarled. "He has to do better then this."

"Stop." Percy growled at him. He knew they didn't hear him, but it ended there.

Dion wasn't happy with this so he stroked off, his shoes causing a clicking noise down the hall. Percy was happy for him to leave. He didn't help his angel in any way for the matter.

Bradshaw stood in front of him for a moment. Percy still snuggled up to his lover, laying his head on his shoulder as if they were alone.

"You're be alright." Bradshaw said as he follow his own way out. "You're be alright, sir."

Once the general was gone, Percy stayed were he was. He could slightly hear Nico's heartbeat with the soft humming of his deep breathing. Percy just sat on the steps with him, desperately clinging to his body, without even a single acknowledgement of him being there. He felt like he was so close, yet so far from his life saving grace that it both saved, yet ended him in one movement.

After a long moment, Nico stood, sliding away from his hold from his arms. He didn't move from his stance for a longer time.

"Whenever I shadow travel, I usually focus on where I'm heading to." Nico started as if he knew Percy was there and listening. For a moment, Percy believed he was. "Those times... I didn't think of my father's realm, or of the Underworld..."

Percy waited for his softly spoken statement to finish with what he wanted. He wanted for Nico to turn towards him and look at him as if he was really there. To look him in the eye and say his name...But, instead, his angel simply started walking away from him.

"Nico..." Percy called out without restraint. "Nico!" He called again. No result.

"Nico, please!" Percy cried. "Nico!" Ni-!"

Percy felt his body jerk wildly as he finally opened his eyes to a new secrecy. He was no longer in the grande throne room of the castle of Oltre Malavita. He was in the simple, blue cabin at Camp Half Blood.

Percy felt his emotions spark up like wild flames at everything he had just witness and experience. He realized his breathing was hollow and his back and feet hurt. He swallow back his rising wave of emotions that he was barely managed to control. He couldn't loose control, not here, not again.

He laid in bed for a long time. He didn't know what time it was nor did he care. He took deep breaths as he held his hair in tiffs inside his balled up hands.

Once he was okay and steady, Percy moved out of the bed and dressed himself. He looked out the window to find it very early into the morning with the sun slowly rising up for a new day. He walked out of his cabin to first see his boat on the dock, waiting for its opportunity to sail off into that bright sun that laid gracefully across the water.

Percy decided then to paint it then, figuring that if he was going to sail that boat someday, it was going to look good. When Nico comes back to him, he was going to take him on that boat and sail away from the world and crest a new one. He didn't want this world or Oltre Malavita. He wanted a new one where it was only them two. And that boat was his escape path.

Before he even knew it, Percy was on his way to the shed, where he found pure white and dark navy blue paint. He graded a handful of brushes and dashed off to his dock before he was spotted. He had till about noon before his first sword fighting class, so he needed to work fast of he wanted it finish in time for tonight where he would ask Chiron for a test sail.

Percy went straight for it, making the strive for linear and thick strokes of blue on the hull, and smaller one of white on the trim. Just like his vision.

He finished it in no time. It was surprisingly neat, considering that he was a demigod with the focus track of a goldfish. He would let the boat dry for the day and longer if needed, before he would try to get it in the water for its first sail. He was excited at the thought, visioning Nico on the dock. He was sitting with his back to the breeze, but his head turned towards it, making his messy black locks fly about his pointed face. His smile was beautiful and natural. His eyes bright and blue and perfect, like him...

Percy took the smallest of the brushes, the only one unused, and dipped it lightly into the navy blue. He climbed up on his wooden box, that was his usage of a ladder, and wrote the one word that was needed to complete his masterpiece. If this boat was to be perfect, it had to be named after him...

_Angel_

{...}

Thanks for reading! Please review! Only two more chapters after this one!

Also! I have been thinking about a separate spin off one shot after the story is finish. It will most likely be about... Oh wait... That will give away the ending, and we can't do that now...

Thanks again! Please tell me about what you think about the spin off in the reviews!


	27. Chapter 27

Percy Jackson will never be able to express two things in his life: his love for water and his love for Nico. But right now, the boat ride was a close enough example.

He was so happy and excited when he finally received permission from Chiron to take it out on the lake for a test sail. It was perfect, with the way to glided over the water and how the sail huffed along with the wind. Percy could easily image himself at sea again, like he was on the Argo II again. He knew it was a big ship, just a small boat in a lake that the size of a pond, but it was much to him then just that. It was his escape. It was his symbol of freedom that he desperately wanted. It was his stance for Nico, and how he would wait for him till the end.

But, right now, the S.S. Angel was his party ship for the evening. Percy was turning 21 years old today, on August 19th, and how was he celebrating? It was on his boat with Jason and Piper, who were dancing along to the secret radio.

Percy was able to convince some of the Hermes kids to let his borrow it for the night, along with some snacks and drinks. They asked why but Percy told a little white lie instead of the truth. He didn't want them to know about his plan and ask to join in. He only wanted the fun night at the pretend sea for Piper, Jason, and himself. His two best friends, dancing off into the water.

He originally wanted Grover to join but he had to go back into the wild shortly after Percy came back to camp, which was somewhat sad for the demigod, but he was mainly happy that he got to spend a little time with his best friend from forever ago. They had talked a lot while both were in camp and caught up on each other's lives. Grover had finally married his long termed girlfriend Jupiter and was doing just fine with being Lord of the Wild. He was seeing improvements to help the environment everyday and was working very hard at it with his nature friends. Percy felt so proud of him, and happy that he finally became what he always wanted to be.

Percy grinned at the memory was he laid peacefully on the deck of his boat. He had a cover scattered over him. The flat and smooth wood of the floor felt therapeutic to his tense back and shoulders. His breathing matched the long waves of the water. His heartbeats went along with the flaps of the winds perfectly. He sighed slightly. He felt as if he was sleeping on Nico's chest again. He could still feel the ghost of his fingers grooming through his hair.

He snapped out of his dream like trance once he felt something land on his lap. He jumped and opened his eyes to find a giggling brunette. He was slightly disappointed that it wasn't a black haired beauty.

"Sorry Percy." Piper barely got through the giggles. Percy smiled up to fondly, and then turned to greatly laugh at the priceless face Jason sported as he died laughing.

In the past two and a half months, Piper and Jason have been checking on Percy and been there for him whenever he needed someone. Jason was mostly between the two camps, but Piper was always there, just in case. Normally, Percy would be resentful towards that kind of treatment, feeling as if he was a dangerous animal, but the two didn't act like that. He was considered and treated as a normal person, a good friend, by them, and Percy found that comforting. He found that similar to How Nico treated him, and he felt so odd from it. But in a good way.

Piper was still giggling uncontrollably when Jason helped her up to stand again. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he kissed her lightly on the forehead. Percy smiled at the sight, despite the small sour tug at the bottom of his stomach.

He knew it was selfish, but whenever he saw another couple doing loving things, like kissing or hugging, Percy felt a bit bitter, mourning over his lack of doing the same things due to his boyfriend's absent. It wasn't like a strong urge to be kissed or hugged or loved by just anyone, but from Nico only, because no one could ever compare to Nico. His touch and his love were the desire that Percy craved for the most, especially after they just entered into a new pleasurably physical phase of their relationship. Percy, after leaving Oltre Malavita during that phase, has been frustrated and restless, leaving to fix his problem with his own hands.

He watched as Piper, who let her hair down for the night, and Jason, who was in a Camp Half Blood t shirt, started to slow dance in a lingering paste that came from the song beginning to play on the radio. Percy studied them as they gracefully sway together with hands laced by the fingers and heads resting on shoulders. Percy wondered if this was similar to how Nico once felt, when Percy was with Annabeth, despite the one deifying factor: Percy's envy was of the lovers' actions, while Nico's envy was for the beloved's actions with the other.

The son of Poseidon watched as the sky slowly darken above them. The stars where forming as the couples slowly moved. The moon was shining brightly, almost blinding, as Percy he laid back down. He felt how the boat was operating, which was correctly and productively, as they sail on from one end to the other in the direction of west. He opened his eyes and turned his head to the empty space beside him. He tried to vision Nico laying beside him, gazing up at the stars, beaming beauty in the moonlight that would bring out his eyes...

Percy felt himself deflate at the unreal sight. He pursed his lips before looking back up to the night. He never image that his 21th birthday would be like this, out on the lake at his childhood camp. He, at first, when he much younger, visioned himself at a bar with a bunch of his male friends. When he became older, he saw himself drinking at his home that he shared with Annabeth. Then he didn't see it at all, since time in Oltre Malavita was useless and they gave him wine without consideration anyway.

But this... He was pretty okay with. He was with friends. He had the stars and the water and the faith he needed to live. And he didn't need the alcohol to have a good time. He was happy with what he had now. He felt his eyes turn back to the space beside him. He looked away quickly.

He felt that hard feeling in his chest again as he thought about Nico. He thought of all the dreams he had been receiving, and how much hope it gave him. He was praying every night to the Gods for it to be true, for all of it to be true. For it to go well and without mistakes...

The hero didn't notice that the slow song ended till Jason called for him. Percy sat up to have the harsh beat and bass slammed in his face, due to the loud volume that Piper soon turned down.

"Percy! My wonderful bro!" Jason cried in excitement. He stood on a cart that Percy didn't recognize. He eyed the boy oddly as Piper sneakily smirked. "You have met another mile stone in your life. Through everything you have been through, this is the most fun and least dangerous... Depending on how you look at it, I guess..."

"Get on with it Grace!" Percy called out to him.

Jason smirked along with his girlfriend before jumping off the box and kicking it over. The wooden cart fell over to pop open the lib, to revile three silver bottles, surrounded by hay from the stables in camp.

Percy laughed as Jason and Piper threw up there arms. "Happy Birthday Percy!"

"Oh my Gods..." He breathed after his laugh. He pulled to cart closer to him and examined it. "How did you get this?"

"I know a guy back in New Rome." Jason shrugged as Piper put her hand on his chest.

The birthday boy chuckled as he pulled out the first bottle. He found it oddly light, so he shook it to find it empty. He pulled the next to find it the same. He noticed how both Jason and Piper's face seem to fall at the disappointing finding. Percy pulled out the last bottle to find it sealed and full.

He held it up to the two in victory as they cheered. Piper almost fell over and almost took Jason with her. The two giggled at the mistake.

Percy smirked. "It was you two, wasn't it?"

"Guilty." The two laughed harder.

Percy laughed along as he opened up the bottle for himself. He tossed his cover over to the two lovers. "Here. Sit down before you two go overboard."

Percy settled himself down on the steps of the deck as the couple snuggled together under the same cover. Percy took his first sip of the beverage and swallow hard at the bitter taste.

"What is this?" He asked.

"Rum." Jason replied in a casual tone but his smile was teasing.

Percy gave them a look with a raised brow. "Really?"

"Now all you need is the outfit and a dog and you can be a true sailor!" Piper cheered.

"Oh shut up." Percy snickered.

"Aye aye, Caption." Jason saluted him. The three of them died.

Once they settled down, Piper asked. "Is this your first sip of alcohol Percy?"

"No. 2nd."

"When was the first?" Jason raised a brow with a smirk.

Percy kept his smile on, but internally hesitated his answer. They're your friends. They will not care. It won't ruin the night. The earth will still turn and the sky will still be here. It's okay.

Percy knew how his friends generally felt about the topic and since this was the first night where he has laughed and smiled without force or restrain... He didn't want to ruin it.

"It was in Oltre Malavita." He spoke carefully. He felt himself hiccup softly. "It was on my last night there. Nico was stressed out and the maids brought a glass to both me and him so I took a few sips."

"That's sound pretty nice." Piper smiled a true smile. "What was it?"

"Grape wine. It was pretty good."

"Oh, sorry. We didn't know you already had a prefer kind."

They all laughed again, but not as whole heartily. Percy almost hated himself for it.

The sea demigod soon notice how Piper and Jason were holding a conversation through their eyes, one that was almost heated. He looked away, back the empty space and up to the stars. Nico would love it here. I would love him here.

Percy looked down at the floor again and saw his naughty daydream of Nico in only black silk pants and that lustful look in his eyes, his leg shaking wildly...

"Percy." Jason called. Percy snapped his head to the left. He cursed himself for letting himself get all horny and drunk in that moment. "We have something to tell you..."

Percy's smile slightly deflated. He noticed that they were halfway through the lake now. "I see why you gave me the rum first."

"Percy," Piper gently spoke to him. "We got an IM earlier today from Hazel and Frank."

Percy stopped everything in his life for a solid second. "They said that they were coming to over to camp tomorrow so they all can you for your birthday."

Percy still held everything under force. "All?" He asked carefully.

"Well, like Frank and Hazel, Reyna and... Annabeth..." Piper streamed on.

They studied him carefully and patiently, waiting for the slightly expression of the reaction.

Percy only nodded. "Okay, that's fine."

They tried their best not to show it, but they blinked in shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah." Percy nodded again. "I don't care. I kinda do want to see Hazel again. And Frank too since its been so long."

"Oh, okay." Piper replied. "But what about Reyna and Annabeth?"

"I don't care." Percy shrugged slightly with one shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Jason questioned. "We don't want to put you into anything you don't want to be in, Perce."

"I know." Percy stated. "I'm okay with it all."

The two looked surprised, but they nodded nonetheless. "Alright. We'll tell them once we get off." Jason declared.

They didn't have to wait long. They soon reached the end of the lake, back to Percy's private dock. He reached down to the side of the hall, caught the lose lonely string, and pulled to let out the steps for his friends. They were completely off before Percy tied the railings down and swept the white cloth sails off.

"See you later, Perce." Jason waved him off as he and Piper walked away, still snuggled together under the blanket. Percy waved back and pursed his lips again. The bitter tug was even bitter that time.

Percy went onward to his own cabin near by. He felt mixed emotion wondering in, knowing the knowledge that he had to go to bed and what that held for him alone was enough to make him want to reject yet leap to his bed for the rest of his life.

For the past two weeks, since he finished his boat, the young man had been have even longer and more personal dreams of his absents lover, who was currently training for an unknown task in their unseen world. Before, he would only see a hour long seen at most. Now, he had seen phases throughout days, even weeks, in a single night setting. He didn't know why or how. It was stunningly shocking at first, leaving Percy dazed with the possibly belief that he was back in his heavenly home with his angel. Yet, Nico still couldn't see or heard him. Percy had tried anything for him to notice him in any way imaginable, but none of it worked.

Eventually, Percy had given up. He just went along with the scenery, which was usually Nico, Bradshaw, and Dion talking about the system they had to come up to forefill the quest Nico had to complete on his own. Sometimes it was just Nico and Bradshaw alone in a random room in very hushed tones that Percy barely heard, but he knew the subject was still the same. He had to travel, not only himself, but also the entire kingdom of Oltre Malavita through the shadow realm and back to its rightful place in the Underworld, back under Hades' control and power. The thing way: how was he suppose to physically do that without loosing control and failing?

The three held that discussion daily, usually late at night. The loom over a table with written papers and open books. They talk in both English and Malavitan. Some, most actually, were heated, mainly between Dion and Bradshaw. Some where dead and dreadful, making Percy feel very uncomfortable, and he wasn't even really there.

Those conversations were the ones that heavily held the negative effects of the quest and what it held for not only the people of Oltre Malavita but also for Nico himself. His life was at stake in this dangerous mission, along with his immoral soul that could easily be lost forever in the shadow realm if he failed. The sound of them saying it, along with the horrible thought, made Percy shiver along with Nico. He couldn't think about that. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't...

Percy would sit on the steps near by, or the floor next to Nico's chair, and listen along to the men talking. They had a very well developed plan that were very exact on the details, but they were still unsure about how it will result in the end, and it scared Percy shitless.

But tonight was different... Totally different.

Percy found himself in the dinning hall again, bright morning light shimmering through the tall windows. He stood in the middle of the long hall, near the end where the from doors of the castle was stationed. He saw two ghost guards on stand by near them.

Percy studied his surroundings, slightly blinded by the yellow light. He could distantly hear the sound of the citizens on the other side, not cheering but more gathering at a much lower volume then he has heard before. It slightly put him off, along with the large group developing towards the door. Generals of War and Government Officials walked in unison, wearing the same black and red color robes. Trained and tired faces with the most restless eyes paid not mind to him as they passed by, walking into the outside in to the newly open doors that light up the world, imaging itself as the gates of heavens. Percy stepped back into the lane when they fully left. He want to peek outside but all he saw was the yellow light with the sound of the people outside grew louder and louder. He wondered if this really was heaven...

He turned back to the dark and glooming hall that made a hollow noise when the wind breezed through at a swift paste. He found a dark figure forming from the dark shadows at the far off end. It slowly approached out and stepped onto the same lane Percy stood, standing with only half of its body towards him, none of it being seen under it black cloak. The figure was tall and board, but completely still, as if it didn't move in a human like manner, but among the darkness that surrounded him in its mysterious, dark aura.

Percy felt his body and mind jerk and react from the sight differently to his emotions. His mind wanted to walk away, saying that this wasn't meant for him to see or know about. He was suppose to stop it all here and now and end the terror that he didn't even know would relive in the end.

But he didn't. He stayed where he was as he watched the Ghost King make his way forward, his cloak flowing behind him and resulting to the showing of his golden and bronze armor with two black bladed swords by his side. He never looked so puissant and sovereign, nor so aesthetic and angelic, before.

Percy realized then what was happening. He had heard the plan so many times, he had images the seen so much...

The son of the sea God stood still as Nico came closer to him, trying to speak but found himself helpless. He felt his body start to shiver and his heart beat raced to the speed of light. His breathing ended forever there, leaving him disable for air that he felt like he would never get again. It wasn't till Nico was a few feet in front of him when he finally took small action.

"_Nico_." He squeaked out in a small voice. "_Nico, please_."

He reached his arms out towards him, a pathetic attempt to stop the man coming to him. Percy was slightly surprised when his hands actually felt the mass of his chest once they into physical contact with him. He never tried touching him before because he was scared of the result, but apparently, that was just the thing he needed to do.

"_Nico..._" Percy tired again. Nico was looking down at his chest with a confused expression on his face, he raised his hand said to touch his own armor.

"My King." A booming voice behind them called out, echoing thought the hall. Both the boys jumped from the call, making both of their hands pull away.

Percy watched as Nico signed deeply and focus back onto his task forward, completely looking through him. Percy felt his heart break slightly from the action, knowing very well that he wasn't his nor Nico's fault, but the Fate, who were so terribly cruel when it comes to love.

"Are you ready, My King?" The voice asked.

"_You don't have to do this._" Percy had his last attempt to him, already feeling defeated. "_Nico please..._"

Percy knew what he was saying was wrong. His concussions was screaming at him to shut up and face his destiny for not only him but for his angel, but his heart kept pupping and beating, and so did Nico's. That was enough for him to act out without reason.

"Yes." The Ghost King nodded.

"_No... Nico, please..._" Percy felt himself start to shaking like the familiar feeling of forming tears took over his burry vision. "_Nico, I love you... I love you! Please don't_ _do this!_"

"Everything is ready for your order, My King." The voice stated.

"_Nico... You promised me... I can't live_..." Percy felt the defeat in both his mind and heart now, which was the finally strike to make him stop his soundless and nonexistence pleasing. He bite down on his lip to shut himself up as tears rolled down his cheek.

He moved aside for him to walk on, and he did so after another sharp breath. "For you..." He stated as he passed by.

Percy followed him out with astonishment. They traveled into the light to eventually see the crowd of citizens gathered in front of the steps. It was deadly quiet at that point, due to the appearance of the king, and it made Percy feel like he was home again. He didn't know why, but it made him feel better.

The hero stood behind the line of power figures as Nico joined them, taking his place in the middle point. Bradshaw stood to his right and Dion was farer down the line. Percy didn't see exactly what was happening but he knew it wasn't going to be easy for Nico to do, nor for the citizens.

That's what he thought was the weirdest thing: the people of Oltre Malavita stood like they were prepared yet careless of what was about to be thrown at them. They started at the king as if he was just another man in power that they obeyed. Percy could tell that they been through a lot. The evidence was as clear as day on their faces that were tried and full of stress and anxiety. Percy never felt so guilt.

Nico then stepped forward toward the crowd that watched him with very dull eyes.

"My family," The son of Hades began. "Today is the day we depart from each other forever."

He paused there. The people's only reaction was stillness with only a single head down in acknowledgement. Percy knew the gesture wasn't because they hated Nico; it was from the fact that they were used to the leaving of a King. They knew that he was not going to stay forever. No one stays forever.

"I would like to thank you all for my time here. It was the happiest part of my life, and i shall never forget it. I believe that, when I finally face my own lifeless death, that I will come back to my home here, or imagine myself in so. I can not think of a better place to be, rather king or not."

Percy knew his words were true, absolutely truth, since he shared the exact same emotions towards the heaven like place. He wondered if him and Nico could come back when they died, if it was indeed possible...

"That is why, under my own want and need, due to my father's command, I must take you all back to where you originally came from, back to the Underworld."

The crowd finally made movement and mumbling sounds at the statement. Percy never thought of the question if the people knew they were away from the land of the dead or not... Whoops...

"My family..." He stated as the crowd settles down. "You are not safe here in this position in the Mortal World. We are hidden by the mist from the morals but the true threats, the monsters and the villains... We are at very high risk of those enemies invading us yet again. I refuse to leave my home in a vulnerable state that would be glorious to the enemy. This place is to precious to be destroyed, to be conquered and ruled by some unworthy tyrant. The land deserves better then that. My family deserves better then that."

The people seemed to agree with Nico's statement, some nodding along and quietly chattering through the watched the black cloak of the King. It still kept its harsh blackness, despite the light around it. It seemed to swirl and twist within itself whenever Nico move, making it radiate the dark power it held more. Percy realize its purpose then.

"I also do believe that my people, my family, are more deserving then any king that the world has to offer, for they could never truly give you all what you deserve. That's why I leave my title and my responsibilities to not a king... But a faithful general, a friend."

Nico then unhook one of his swords and handed it to Bradshaw, who stood with a neutral face as he was presented the title of King. He took the sword, that was still sheathed, and held it high above. The people cheered wildly and gratefully for their new king. They were truly happy.

Nico soon raised his arms to quiet down the cheering and happiness momentarily.

"My family, please do not fear the travel to the Underworld. I promise to keep you all safe, as long as you follow my instructions." Nico looked at the crowd for a long time. "Now please, join hands, and keep very very still."

The people urgently did what they were told, some women and men holding their children as they joined with another. The line up front joined hands as Dion went down to the audience and linked the two groups together. Percy watched from his hidden spot on the steps as they all grouped in a oval shape in order to stay close to each other during the trip. It was an odd yet lovely sight: the ghost in the light, almost fading along with it, but still dazzling in it, as if they were still alive, while the only living soul seemed to pale against them. All the light and life surrounding the supposedly dead...

Percy kept his eyes on his lover, as he stood with his back towards the group, so he could direct them through the dark. The spawn of the sea God could have sworn was looking right at him, in the eyes, as if he could finally see him after everything. Percy started back into those eyes, seeing all those beautiful flickers and shimmers one more looked back, smiling slightly as he did so. Percy knew that it was true then. It was true the whole time...

Nico's smile did not vary as he close his blue eyes and join hands with his fellow men. Percy felt the ground slowly begin to ramble as the light glow brighter as Nico's cloak dissolve into a liquid like state and expanded along the land. It came over them all in a dome like form and soon started to enclose on itself, taking everything inside it with it. The light kept growing brighter and whiter as the dome shrink. It was a gentle comparison between the light and the dark that Percy never thought existed. He marveled how beautiful it was as he went into the new light.

{...}

He only saw white for what seemed like infinity. His body and soul and mind were missing, leaving his concussion barely alive and functioning. Percy didn't mind though. It was a lovely state. He felt nothing, experience nothing. Not even numbness.

Then he jerked his body as he found himself laying on the grass of some field. He sat up right away, feeling foregoing to the sensations of emotions and senses again.

He observed his surrounding, finding himself in a green meadow that seemed very familiar. He stood to feel the sense of water near him. He turned around to find the waterfall that hid his beautiful heaven from the world. He looked farther back to find the beach and ocean that he traveled through when he was taken away. He could recognize the breeze that blew through his body, with it salty air that was as warm as the wind in Oltre Malavita. He turned back to his front to find the wind growing harder and harsher. The sky above him was covered in grey clouds that hid the sun's brightness completely.

Percy couldn't tell what was about to happen, but he hoped it was good and quick. He wanted to get back to Nico, who was hopefully alive and well in the Underworld. He knew that was his next task: to get to the Underworld to receive his lover again. So they can finally live happily ever after...

Or he could get the polar answer and finally died like he knew he would if his worst nightmare did truly happen...

Just then a bright flash blinded him and threw him back down to the ground. He couldn't see for a few second before blinking a few time. He sat up as his vision focused on the new dark figure.

Percy scrambled up to stand and see if it was true. It was...

His Angel stood in the middle of the same field as him, about ten feet away. He stood with a neutral expression that soon vanished as he came back from the other place his mind was in.

He opened his beautiful blue eyes forward and they connected with Percy once again.

For a long moment, nothing happen. Only the wind blew and the ocean made love to the land on the shore again.

Nico was the first to move among the two. He smiled softly and lightly, never breaking eye contact with him.

"_I'm coming back, my love."_ Nico said sweetly. "_Percy..._"

Percy woke up then.

{...}

Thanks for reading! Please review!

THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE LAST! I WILL DO THE SPIN OFF AND MAKE IT A SEPARATE ONE SHOT FROM THIS STORY.

thanks again for all the support I gather from this story. I love writing and I'm happy that people think I'm good at it. Thanks again! Please review.


	28. Chapter 28

Reyna had never spent such a wonderful day at Camp Half Blood. She had only been there for about two hours, and yet, it was specular how great it was.

Like right now, she was sitting on the white wooden deck of the main house, enjoying the bright and warm summer sun. She was surrounded by her dearly loved friends, two of the currently in a fun game of cards against the head counselor, Chiron. She had a very beautiful blonde girl next to her, her pretty and knowledge filled head laying in the Latina's lap as she played with her curls.

Oh yes, life for Reyna was extremely good right now.

In the past three months, Reyna had the world at his fingertips. She finally asked Annabeth out and succeeded with not only one but two dates before they declared themselves a couple. Everyone was extremely proud and happy for them, saying they knew it all along that they were meant to be. Reyna never been so relieved in her life.

From that day, everything had been heavenly. She couldn't be happier in her life. For once, in her crazy demigod life, everything was perfect. She was praetor of New Rome, she had a loving family of friends that were always there for her, and she was in love with the most amazing girl who loved her back. Nothing could go wrong... Hopefully...

"Piper! Jason!" Hazel cried over to them and waved broadly. The rest of the group followed.

The happy couple began to make their way over to the group. Reyna felt herself smile more at the sight. Annabeth lifted her head from her lap and sat up lazily. She leaned in to rest her head now on Reyna's shoulder. Reyna's cheeks began to hurt then.

Piper climbed the steps before her boyfriend and hugged Hazel. "I'm so glad you guys made it."

"We won't miss it." Hazel giggled back before returning back to the card again.

"Hey Frank!" Jason greeted him. "How's being Praetor?"

"Hey Jason." The boy replied. "It's all as great as I thought it would be. A lot more work..."

The grouped laughed at the statement and the look on Frank's face. Reyna felt Annabeth's breaths vibrate as she giggled. She snuggled deeper into her neck.

The laughing died down when Hazel's face become stone hard and on alert. Reyna was the first to notice and followed her golden eyes that were glued to a figure out in the distance. She felt Annabeth beside her follow the action. Both of them tensed.

The Poseidon cabin seemed lifeless and empty when Reyna first saw it when they arrived that morning. But now, with a tall bronze and black colored figure standing outside the door on the porch, it seemed dangerously alive.

Reyna, along with the rest, studied the boy from afar carefully, which seemed to make time slow dramatically down, as if each second was an eon of nothing but patience waiting. Reyna couldn't see the narrow details of his face, disable to read the signs of what was coming next, which caused her to get more nervous. She knew something was about to happen... But what?

Everything shattered in just a second.

Percy dashed off in what seemed to be lighting speed and aim towards the other side of the camp. He held no weapon or showed any danger, but the group still reacted immediately. Reyna was the first up with Hazel bouncing up beside her. The two girl grabbed their weapons. The others were going the other ways around to maybe a shortcut, but Reyna didn't have time to make sure.

Reyna and Hazel ran as fast as they could, but they were nothing compared to Percy as he zoomed past everything. Reyna dashed forward as he began to go up the hill with scattered rocks on it. She thought that she could possible reached him due to his lack of energy and speed she predicted him to have at this point, but she was proven completely wrong, as he at the top and gone before she took another look up.

Reyna reached the top, finally looking out to the Camp's beach, the back side of the hill being nothing more then sand that lowered down into the beach. Reyna was ready to dash off again once she caught sight of Percy running towards the beach, before making a sharp right turn.

She only stopped herself once she saw it.

Hazel joined her soon. She was breathing heavily and was looking at her with wide, confused eyes. She held her sword up like she was about to whack her. "What are you doi-?!"

She cut herself off before running off the mountain, leaving her sword dropped and forgotten in the sand. Reyna needed a moment to regain her breath before running off happily. Jason, Piper, and Frank soon came along, leaving Reyna to only point down before they went off.

Reyna looked back to find a mess of blonde curls halfway up the hill. She smiled again, before looking back to the beach, were the bronze and black figure was sat, holding a dark figure closely and passionately.

Annabeth soon joined her, eyes on the sight before smiling onto her. She was really happy, truly happy...

The two girls made their way down to where the group was gathered around the new come guest and friend.

Reyna smiled down at him as Annabeth hugged him like true friend. Everyone was surrounding them on the ground smiling and laughing. Percy was the one smiling the most, tears trailing down his face.

"Welcome home, Nico." Reyna greeted her friend.

The End

{...}

Thank you all for reading this story through it all. I'm so so grateful for you all. Thank you all for the support and love this story has received from you guys. I...just can't say thank you enough.

Please review, tell your overall view of the story. Thank you all again. The spin off will be in 2016, and probably rated T.

Thank you all so so much.

Goodbye. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

-LF


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